Vacant
by bookworm46
Summary: The world is in ruins. Few have survived. And those who have aren't the weak ones. The goal is unknown. Maybe it's to survive. Maybe it's to fix the Earth. Survival seems impossible, but it's all they have left. How do you rid the Earth of humans? Rid the humans of their humanity. Zombie AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Vacant – Chapter 1**

"They are dead, girl," I said vehemently to the dark-skinned stranger as I held her by the shoulders. Her cheeks were wet and her dark eyes shined bright with tears. I saw her take a breath to sob again, but I took a hand off her shoulder and brought it to cover her mouth. It helped undoubtedly, but _they_ were quick and their ears seemed to have advanced since they had Turned. They could pick up the faintest of sounds from the furthest of distances. So I had to think fast of a way to shut her up. _Without hurting her,_ I told myself. I thought back to when we were running down the hallway of the house and into the daughter's bedroom. Her father had shouted her name before being mauled to death. And her dead mother had sat against a wall of the master bedroom, holding a locket with the same name engraved on it. I looked back to the girl. She was about to sob again.

"Christina," I whispered. It was so light, I was surprised she had even heard me. But she did and recognition of her own name showed blatantly on her face. She looked up and made eye contact with me. I hesitantly took my hand away from her mouth and raised a finger to my lips. She nodded after a second and swallowed back a sob. Her face went eerily calm and I worried for a moment that she would into shock from losing both of her parents in such a short time. I started talking to her. I needed to keep her from freezing up like her mother had only minutes ago, which had ultimately led to her imminent death.

"Christina, grab something to carry a couple of things in. A bag of some kind," I instructed her. She nodded but waited for me to move first. I looked around the room for the first time. It seemed to belong to her. It was all in black and white and a mirror on her vanity caught my eye for the first time. I looked at my reflection for what seemed like forever. It had been a long while since I had seen myself. When the world was normal, it didn't seem like such a big deal, but I guess you don't realize how much you need something until it's taken away from you. I swallowed and forced myself to look away from the glass. Christina was in her closet throwing clothes into a duffelbag. I looked down at her bare feet and told her to pack her sneakers.

"I don't own any," she told me. I stared at her. "I never had any use for them." I sighed at her uselessness, but nodded anyway. We'd just have to find a new pair for her. "What kind of shoes do you have?" I asked her. Maybe she had boots that I could break the heels off of. In this case, even sandals would do for the time being.

"Well, I-" She's cut off by the sudden banging on the door. She jumped and my head whipped around to the doorway. I hadn't locked it. It flew open, but I was already sliding the black wooden dresser over the entrance. I knew it wouldn't hold long, so we had to move. I looked around the room another time and realized nothing was heavy enough for what I was about to do. I groaned and grabbed one of the drawers from the dresser. That took away some of the weight and the dresser budged a little more. I could hear the moans and screeches from _them._ It still gave me chills. I shuddered a breath. I emptied the drawer of clothes and arms started grabbing through the doorway. I stepped toward the only window in the room. I took a deep breath and hurled the drawer at the glass with strength that would impress Will and the others. I would have to tell them later.

The glass shattered, unsurprisingly. I kicked out the extra shards and looked out onto the lawn fifteen feet below. I could make the drop, no doubt. I was more concerned with how Christina would fare. Best case scenario, she would be fine, but I knew that was too much to hope for. The dresser screeched against the wooden floors again as it moved another couple inches. There had to be more than a few trying to get in the room. And I had left my pistol in the van. I silently cursed Caleb for making me leave it.

Another screech of wood on wood brought me back from damning him to hell. I reassessed the situation with a fresh mind. The plan is to jump and hope Will is back from scavenging the other houses in the neighborhood. If not, we go to Plan B, which has yet to be developed.

I look back to Christina, who has started crying again. I seriously consider leaving her. No, can't do that. I push my hair back and grab her wrist. I pull her over to the window and take her bag. I throw it out and almost cringe when it hits the grass outside. It's September and the ground is starting to freeze over from the cold. I hope she doesn't realize that as I push her closer. "You have to jump." I tell her. I look back to the door, where I see a face of one of _them._ I accidentally make eye contact. I avert my eyes as fast as I can, but it's too late. _They_ push harder on the door. "Shit," I whisper. I just shaved a valuable thirty seconds off of our clock.

"You have to jump," I urge her again. I can't jump first for fear that she might not be able to after me. She hesitates. Eye contact.

"Now."

I can actually see the determination in her eyes gather and the fear dissolve as she gets up on the ledge. She jumps and I knew in that moment that I was glad I hadn't left her. She had a natural ability to swallow fear and an undeniable will. She would be valuable. I knew it.

I didn't look as she hit the ground. Instead, I got up on the ledge and crouched. I could faintly hear her feminine whimper, but I block that out. I pause in this position for only a second before the monsters break through the furniture and run at me.

I jumped.

I had always loved the feel of free falling, but in this instance, I hated it. You understand. I hit the ground hard, but managed to roll it out. I stopped in a crouch and grabbed Christina after the world came into focus. Thankfully, she already had a grip on the duffelbag. We took off in a run and I tried to resist cringing as I heard the sound of _them_ falling from the window. The screeches and moans of them all. The crack of bone and the tear of rotten flesh. The fall would have broken their legs to the point where they wouldn't be able to run anymore. But there would be others in the neighborhood. The fallen residents of the once affluent community. But money doesn't matter when it's life and death. What matters is the will and skill to survive.

I was practically dragging Christina through the yard by the wrist. We just had to get to the street in the front. Will would be there. Will should be there. If he wasn't…

We got to the fence, where there was a lock. A code had to be entered. Christina reached for it to enter the code, but I slapped her hand away.

"We don't have time," I said. _They_ could crawl fast on their hands. I looked back at them. Most of them had already covered half of our distance. "Cover your face," I told her. She obeyed without hesitance. I stepped back and inhaled. With one kick, I broke the lock and the plank of wood it had been attached to. Splinters flew everywhere and I looked away to avoid being hit.

"Come on," I said. I moved stealthily into the front yard with the young girl right behind me. Not that I turned to check or anything. Because I didn't. We moved quietly, but still quickly. I knew we wouldn't stand a chance if we ran into Runners. On a plain, straight stretch of road, they would kill us before we could run a quarter mile. Not that we wouldn't have made it that far with her condition. And I wasn't planning on leaving her.

We stayed close to her house. I peeked around the corner. I froze. _They_ were everywhere. I pulled my head back to the cover of the wall. I ran through my options. They were limited.

On the one hand, we could run… and we wouldn't make it to the next house thirty yards away.

On the other hand, we could wait for Will to show up. And we couldn't do that either with the Limps just behind the gate.

I turned to Christina once again. "Here's the plan," I whispered and cleared my throat. "Don't argue. I'm gonna go out there and yell for my people. I'll distract _them_ and you're gonna run over to your neighbor's house over there." I point to the house closest to us. I pray it's empty. "You'll wait there, lock the doors, okay? Wait there until you hear gunshots. Then look if it's clear. You'll see one of my people, okay? Their names are Will and Caleb. They're my cousin and brother. If – when they find you, tell them Tris had found you, but she had to leave, okay?"

She nods in understanding. I know she's confused. She doesn't know how I get out of this alive. I don't tell her I won't. She doesn't need that on her conscience. We stand to go, but I turn to her one more time. "Oh, and Christina," I say. She looks at me expectantly. "Just… let them know I loved them." I smiled at her. It was the most comforting thing I could do at the moment. She nodded once again. At least she could follow orders. I hug her and turn once again to run.

In all my years on this Earth, people had always made it seem like a big thing to die. It was something people would cry over, but the truth was, it was inevitable. Someone is always carrying a bullet for you, unknowingly. The goal is to avoid that person, that bullet, until you've died of another cause, but even then, you're still dead. Death still found you. In a way, I knew I would die like this. Ever since the world went to shit, I knew I would die like this. I guess I just didn't know it would be this sudden. At least Christina had the chance of living. And the others would remember me.

So it wasn't that difficult to run into the street and yell for Will. I saw the Runners heads pop up as they heard me too. I saw Christina running for her life in the direction of the empty house. I hoped she would make it.

"Will!" I shouted. "Caleb! Guys! I'm here!"I even cupped my hands to make it louder. But there was no need for that. I turned as the familiar sputter of a van starting nearby. My eyes locked onto the neutral black van parked only a few yards from my position. The side door slid open and Caleb hopped out with an M-16, fully loaded apparently, because he started firing into the crowd of Runners, whose attention had been caught from the very first noise they had heard.

I heard Will shout at me from the driver's seat. "Get in the van, Priors!" he shouted. I had to stop myself from smiling. This was not a time for that. I almost got in, but stopped when I remembered Christina. The girl I had basically sent to death.

I held up a finger. "Christina!" I shouted into the neighborhood. She would hear me, but I just hoped she would obey me one more time. "Christina, come out here! Our ride's here!" I cupped my hands to project louder. The door of the house opened a crack and she hesitantly stepped out. I was glad she had made it. The plan would have worked if Will and Caleb hadn't shown up.

"We haven't got all day, Tris," Caleb shouted to me. "I'm running out." I nodded to him and got in the van. He followed close behind me, still spraying bullets into the horde of bodies.

I waved my hands at Christina. "Come on!" She didn't hesitate anymore. She did a full sprint towards the van and threw the bag in. I caught it and kept it from knocking Caleb out. Will started driving as I had instructed. We couldn't wait for Christina to be safely in. We had to start accelerating. Apparently, this didn't click for her. Her eyes widened and her feet sped up.

"You're gonna have to jump in at twenty miles per hour," I told her. It wasn't even that much, but I could tell she hadn't done it before. "You can do it. You have to do it." I felt bad saying this after making her jump out of the window and hurting her ankle or foot, or whatever. But life was hard. Especially this one.

I locked my arms with hers and Caleb helped me lift her into the van. When she was finally safely in, he picked up the M-16 and started shooting again. I slid the door shut again and pulled chain above me to turn the light bulb on. It shined bright in the dark van. The windows were all tinted and there was a partition separating the front from the back.

I handed Christina her bag and smiled a sad smile. "I'm sorry about your parents, Christina," I apologized. "I'm sure you'd like some alone time." I looked to Caleb, who had since closed the back doors after we had picked up enough speed to lose the Runners. I addressed him. "Caleb, leave her alone, but if she asks for anything, let me know," I told him. He nodded and reloaded his weapon. I gave him a pointed look. He set it down and cleared his throat.

I touched Christina's shoulder once more. "I'll be up front."

I moved over and slid open the partition. I crawled through and into the passenger seat. I didn't bother with the seatbelt. It had been broken by the time Will and I had found and hotwired it.

Will glanced over at me for a second but I stared forward. He was driving towards the exit of the gated community. We hadn't been here before, but he and Caleb had managed to get a layout of the entire housing area. That was the last section we were scavenging. By now, everything had been looted or too infected to try. We would have to move camp now. The others wouldn't be happy to hear that.

"Hmm," Will said. "I was expecting Caleb."

"Sorry to disappoint," I replied sassily. I was craving our humorous banter from before. Things had been too serious as of late. That was understandable, though. No one person was to blame. Just the entire population of Earth.

Will smiled at my response. "Where to, Captain?" he asked me.

"Where else?" I replied.

No one spoke for the rest of the hour-long drive.

...

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Divergent series or its characters. They are all Veronica Roth's.**

 **How was that? I need to know if I should continue. I think I will, for a few more chapters, unless everyone absolutely hates it. Hope you all don't! I apologize if this was vague, but with more chapters, it will improve. Thank all of my chocolates (readers) for reading. Tell your friends. #ShamelessSelfPromotion**

 **Read on and Review!**

 **Xoxo ~Viv**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vacant – Chapter 2**

I woke up to Will shaking my shoulder. The van had stopped, so I guessed we had arrived back at camp. I had fallen asleep on the ride, though. The adrenaline rush must have worn me out.

I looked over to Will. He was speaking, and it took a second for my ears to register what he was saying. "We're back, Tris," he tells me, grabbing the keys from the ignition and opening the door. He got out and slammed the door shut. The window was still open, so he leaned on it with his arms crossed. "Hey, that girl back there needs to be taken care of. You got it? I can send one of the girls over if you need help," he offers. It's kind of him, and I appreciate it, but I shake my head.

"Thanks, but I can handle it," I decline his offer. He nods anyway.

After he leaves, I get out of the van. I looked up into the canopy of the trees in the forest. It really was beautiful, despite the situation of the world. It made you think back to what life might have been like before humans were even here to ruin it. You couldn't hear the people or the see the artificial lights. The sun was the only thing in the entire world that brought light and warmth to the planet. There were no bridges or buildings or highways with cars. No noise or destruction in nature. No man-made disease that wiped out most of the population. And the sun shined through the leaves and reflected off of the running water, bringing life to the forest. It must have been beautiful before we came and destroyed it all. I took a large breath and closed my eyes. Serenity.

When I opened my eyes and exhaled, it brought me back to the current situation. I slammed the door shut and stretch out a bit. Before the outbreak, I hadn't been very flexible. I had been in gymnastics when I was younger, and it certainly influenced my adeptness at survival today, but I was young when I had quit. I had wanted to do something else with my life. Lead a life of science. Not that any of it mattered today.

I remembered Christina in the back of the van. I walked over and turned to the back doors. They were open and my brother's weapon was missing; Caleb must have already gone back to the campsite. I noticed the small girl sitting curled in the corner of the trunk. Her feet were dirty and there were tiny shards of glass in her heels. I made a mental note to get those out later.

She wasn't asleep, but she wasn't completely awake either. She was staring off into space. As much as I wanted to give her space and leave her to herself, I knew we had to get back to the campsite before it became dark. It would get cold and the trees would be difficult to navigate through. Not to mention the Creepers that would come out then. It would be almost impossible to live long enough to survive the night. So I started talking to her. Scaring her with threats of the night certainly wouldn't convince her to come out.

"Christina," I said softly, pausing to see if I had her attention. I didn't. "Christina, we have to get going. They're expecting us back at the camp." I reached out and pulled the chain that turned the light off. I can't believe Caleb kept it on this whole time. We were low on lightbulbs and needed to restock. I thought he knew that. "We just have to get someone to look at your foot. Something's probably wrong with it." She's still not looking at me. "I know it's all happening really fast, it's hard to lose your parents-"

"Don't," she says. I look up at her to see she's staring at me with wet eyes. Her voice wavered. "Don't talk about them. I don't want to talk about them." I swallowed and looked down. I nodded. I shouldn't have said that. It hadn't even been two hours. I should have known better. I remember when my parents had died. I didn't speak to anyone for days. "I'm sorry," I insisted. "But we gotta go. Right now." I looked back to her hesitantly. I held a hand out to her. She didn't take it. Instead, she handed me her duffelbag. She got out of the van. She tried not to wince when she hit the ground on her bare feet. I grabbed my favorite pistol from a rack on the wall of the van. I checked its bullets and slipped it into my holster on my right side.

She looked down at me and I pointed in the northern direction. She started walking, but I had to throw the camouflage cover over the van. It only took a second. I don't know why Caleb insisted we do that. It wasn't like a Creeper would come and steal it in the night. But it helped him sleep at night, so I did it.

I had to jog a bit to catch up with Christina. She had longer legs than I, so I had to walk quickly to match her stride. That was when I realized she wasn't as tiny as she made herself seem when she was curled up in the van. She was thin, no doubt, but she was tall. If we put some food in her and got her into a normal eating schedule, she would be classified as limber. She would be of use to the group, especially when we taught her to fight.

We walked a while, probably about two miles. Christina wasn't even out of breath, but I knew her feet must have been hurting. It didn't surprise me when she missed the turn to camp and continued walking straight. It was only marked by an unsuspicious log of wood. There was a peculiar mold growing on it, though, which Will and I knew to be familiar. I whistled. She turned to me.

"Over here," I said and nodded my head to the right. She turned and followed in that direction. The sun was disappearing fast now, and the trees blocked the light very efficiently. I knew we were close, though. After three or four more minutes of walking, we came to the base of a large rock. The rock was actually part of a larger mountain. Now we just had to follow the rock until we got to the entrance.

I started getting after I hadn't seen it for a while. We must have walked a half-mile and we still hadn't found it. I was considering turning around, but if I was wrong, I didn't want to worry Christina for no reason. But, when I was about to stop, she spoke. I cleared my face of worry before turning to face her.

"Isn't that one of your guys?" she asked me. She pointed over my shoulder. I turned and followed her finger. Sure enough, there was Will, leaning against the rock with his arms crossed. He hadn't seen us yet.

"Yeah, that's Will," I confirmed. "Nice eye." I nodded my head in approval. We kept moving and I waved my free hand up to get his attention. The other one was holding Christina's bag.

We seemed to startle Will. When he saw us, he jumped and his hand immediately shot to his belt where his holster was. I didn't flinch; he had quick reflexes, but he would realize it was I before he shot. He visibly relaxed when he recognized the two of us. He took his hand away and began chastising me.

"What the hell took you so long, Tris?" he started walking towards me. He threw his arms up to show his exasperation. "It's almost dark. You know we'd have to lock up without you two if you were late."

I nodded somberly. "I know," I said. I knew he was right. The group had decided that when we first found the place. A small part of me hoped that they wouldn't have locked up without me, but that was the selfish part. The bigger part hoped they would. "It won't happen again. This was a one-time thing. You know it was." Will looked like he was about to say something else, but he stopped himself and took a deep breath instead. He stepped aside and we continued on. When we stood where he had stood waiting for us, we stopped. Christina looked skeptical, as she rightly should have. It seemed like we had stopped for no reason. She looked like she was about to say something about it when Will stepped forward and lifted a few branches. I helped with the last few and swept away a few extra leaves. I stepped away and there was the entrance to the camp. It was a cave, a cavern, actually. Completely concealed underneath the mountain. The entrance was short and all three of us had to bend down to fit. I went first and Christina followed hesitantly, as if she thought we were bringing her down to kill her. Yeah, right. After I just saved her life.

Will stayed behind to cover the entrance back up with branches and leaves. He caught back up with us quickly. Well, he caught up with Christina, not me. I heard them talking for about a minute, but the conversation ended quickly. The silence afterwards was deafening. We walked cautiously through the cavern for a few minutes. It wasn't lit, since we didn't want to waste any unnecessary power. By now, everyone in the group had gotten used to the way the cavern twisted and turned. We knew all the bumps and jutting rocks of the place. At the end of the stone hallway, the artificial light of kerosene lamps was just visible. And we could here the distant chatter of the people in the group. Finally, we turned the last corner that opened up to the massive pit of nothingness.

Caleb and Will had found it by accident. They had been hunting and had consequently chased a wild dog into the dark cavern. They had been hesitant to explore it, the fear of Creepers strong. But the group was desperate to rest safe for a single night, so they mustered up enough courage to scope it out hours later. There had indeed been a few Creepers in there, and the dog was gone, but they cleared it up in a few hours. By then, it was nighttime and we passed out as soon as we got in. The next morning, the women had checked out the perimeter of the cavern, looking around for anything useful. The Will and Caleb had left to scope out the places nearby, finding the gated community. Back here, we found broken-down wooden shafts and miners' hats. Coal cars were nearby, too, so we figured it had once been a coal mine at one point in time. Unfortunately, the coal was gone, with the exception of some dust, but even that helped us get fires started. We found the kerosene lamps here, too. And we took the wood away from the shafts and built small tables and three single-room buildings in the cavern. They served as female and male quarters and a dining hall area. All of that was about a month ago. We had been living like this since then. It was the closest thing to home since the outbreak had forced us the live this way. In hiding. I was proud of how far we had come. And I'd be sad when we had to leave. But, at the same time, I knew we had to move on. It wasn't safe to stay in one place for too long. We would get too comfortable and, consequently, our guard would fall. I had made that mistake before, and we had lost people. I wasn't going to let it happen again. I think the group knew it, too.

But this was new to Christina, so the awe on her face we she saw our establishment was well worth the work. Her face was dirty with sweat and dirt, but it lit up with wonder when she was the fairy lights and kerosene lamps arranged around the camp. There was one every few yards, so there wasn't a single place in the camp that wasn't lit. That was thanks to our group's medic, Marlene, who had had a fear of the dark since she was little. Now, we were all afraid of a lack of light.

Everyone was eating in the dining hall shelter. There wasn't a door for that one, so part of the group that was facing the entrance saw us coming. One of them was Marlene. She stood, and the others quieted. The rest turned to look at the newcomer.

"You go ahead, Will," I told him. "You should eat something. I'll get Marlene to look at Christina." Will nodded to me and made his way over to the food on the table. I couldn't see what it was, but it smelled savory. I wondered what Shauna had made. She usually cooked our food, on the one condition that we sat down at the table to eat it. She was, by far, the best cook in the place. I made eye contact with Caleb, but then switched my gaze to Marlene. I nodded my head in a _come here_ gesture. She took a last swig of water and set her cup down. She excused herself quickly and wiped her hands on a napkin. While she was walking towards us, I readjusted the bag on my shoulder and spoke to Christina. "That's Marlene," I explained. "She's our medic. Or the best we could get." I turned to face her and noticed the worrisome look on her face. "Don't panic; she knows what she's doing."

When Marlene arrived, she shook hands with Christina and introduced herself. "We should take this to the female quarters, where I can work. Then we can check it out."

…

I had put Christina's bag on my bed, which really wasn't a bed. It was just a sleeping bag with a few pillows from the gated community. We had scavenged a few of the good ones from the housing area. I was giving my area to Christina. I could manage the discomfort until we left this place altogether. We'd be leaving everything here if we couldn't carry it.

Marlene was looking at Christina's ankle at the moment. She had finished getting the pieces of glass out of her heels and I wasn't sure how much longer Christina was going to handle it. We had only just run out of painkillers. I thought about bringing her some food and water, but decided it might make her nauseous after not eating anything for a while. _Later,_ I thought. I dismissed this thought when there was a knock on the door. Will entered with a plate of food after Marlene gave the okay. I nodded to him as he walked over to check on Christina. I saw him set the plate down and heard him ask Marlene if she knew what was wrong. I left before I heard her answer. I knew, whatever it was, it was my fault. I told her to jump. I just hoped she understood.

I closed the door behind me and stopped. I looked around the cavern. Most of the group had finished eating, but I didn't see them. But I could hear the sound of a guitar and their voices, so I assumed they were still in the dining building. They would sometimes come together and sing songs on Caleb's guitar. It gave a sense of normality in this hell. I never joined. Instead, I turned to where there were a few coal cars on the perimeter of the cavern. I started walking over to the one filled with water. This wasn't for drinking, of course. We had to get water from a running water source outside. This sitting water was really for washing, since we didn't have a river or lake outside, only the stream. There were washrags on the edge of the car; all had dried. I cupped my hands in the water and splashed my face. The water was lukewarm, but I just needed to get the dirt off my face.

I heard something to my right, in the direction of the campsite. I spun on my heels and my hand shot straight to my holster. The pistol was up and aimed in an instant, the safety off. It took me a moment for the water to clear from my eyes. When it did, I saw Will was standing in my sights. His hands were up, but he was relaxed, knowing I wouldn't shoot him. He had a stupid little smirk on his face.

"Didn't know I could make you sweat like that, Trissy," he teased. He laughed, and I returned my pistol to its holster.

"Oh, ha ha," I mocked. "Very funny, you asshole." I dried my face on a cloth and licked my chapped lips. "How is she?" I ask, now regretting not asking Christina myself.

"Oh, she'll live," he reassured me. "Especially with Marlene tending to her. Apparently, she sprained her ankle. It'll heal. No medicine needed." I knew he was trying to lessen my guilt. It worked. I was relieved to hear it wasn't permanent. But then he had to ruin it by talking again. "How _did_ she even sprain it in the first place?" he asked. "And why the hell did you come running out in the middle of a horde of Runners? The plan was-" I cut him off.

"I know what to plan was," I tell him. "But the plan changed when I found a man and woman and their daughter in one of the houses I was scavenging." I pause, but rush on before he starts talking. "Apparently, they had been living in their basement since the outbreak. For some godforsaken reason, they left that temporary safety to come upstairs. Runners attacked. They got her parents, Will. She witnessed her parents getting murdered, slaughtered."

Will rolled his eyes. "So did you. So did I," he said. I couldn't believe his ignorance.

"Those were both completely different circumstances," I argued. "And years ago. We're over it." My parents were murdered by a pair of home invaders. I was ten. And his parents were killed in a car accident. He was seven.

"And I wasn't gonna leave her, Will," I said. "I took her to her bedroom, where she got a few things, but Runners managed to find us without any of the Sensors. They forced us to jump out of her window on the second floor. I guess she landed wrong." I shrugged. "When I didn't see you or Caleb, I sent Christina to the other house to wait until you came back." I could see the confusion at the stupidity of my plan. Especially the part where I didn't survive.

"So, what?" he guessed. "You ran out to kill yourself or something?" I rolled my eyes. The sass in his voice was real. "I know what you were doing, and it was stupid, Tris. Don't let it happen again." I looked away and rolled my eyes again. It's not like I want to die.

"Trust me," I said. "It won't."

…

Later that night, everyone was sleeping. Caleb and Will were in their male quarters, while the rest, Marlene, Shauna, Lauren, Molly, Christina and I were all here in the female quarters. I sat against the far wall, alone, mulling over my thoughts. I was the only one awake. Or at least I thought I was. But Christina's sleeping bag ruffled and then it was silent. I couldn't see, but someone sat down next to me, so I assumed it was her.

"Tris?" she asked quietly, hesitantly.

"Yeah," I replied. I secretly hoped she wouldn't start crying. I wouldn't be able to handle that again. Maybe tomorrow.

"I was wondering," she paused. "If you could explain something to me."

"What would that thing be?" I asked.

I could almost hear her thinking about it. "The _things_ ," she said, simply. "The things that were attacking us earlier today. The ones that…killed my parents." Her voice wavered and I silently swore at myself for letting her ask me this. "What _were_ those things?"

I gave her a look before realizing she couldn't see me in the dark. "Christina," I stalled. "I'm tired. Maybe I could answer that tomorrow," I suggested. In reality, after just have witnessing her parents' murder, I didn't want to further fuel her nightmares. My nightmares lasted a good month or two after the initial outbreak.

"Okay," she agreed. "Tomorrow, then. I'll hold you to that."

…

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Divergent series.**

 **I liked this chapter. I hope you do, too. Next chapter, I might do something a little different. (You'll like it, I swear. Four is in it. *wink, wink*) I know it's still vague, but it will be cleared up in the next few chapters. Thank you to every chocolate who already has faith in this story, just based on its introductory chapter. I love when people actually read my work. And I apologize for typos and the like; I don't proofread my writing. I know I should, but I always get so excited when I finish, that I can't wait to post it.**

 **Read and Review!**

 **Luv ya! -Viv**


	3. Chapter 3

**Vacant – Chapter 3**

 **Four POV**

I woke up to the sound of gunshots. It was dark, but I had no idea what the time was, only that it was night. The only light was coming from the weak rays of moonlight shining through the boarded windows. The warehouse where we had been staying the past week had been run down long before the outbreak. It was some kind of mill, actually, with large machines and chains hanging from the rafters. The windows were, for the most part, shattered, the broken glass dusting the floors. This made it hard to walk around without my boots. So when I got up to check out the gunshots, I stepped on a shard of glass and swore. This woke up Zeke, who apparently had slept through the earsplitting sound of bullets.

"Four?" he asked groggily. He wasn't a morning person in the slightest, and it took a moment for the situation to register. I looked over to where the other three survivors slept. Two of them were empty. _It's too goddamn early for this shit,_ I thought. Zeke's brother, Uriah, and the girl we had found on her own a few weeks ago, Lynn. She had joined us, but only out of necessity. She mostly kept to herself. The other member went by Eric. He was twenty-one, like Zeke and myself.

"They're missing," I said. Uriah and Lynn were gone, along with their shoes and weapons. That explained the gunshots. I grabbed Zeke by the arm and lifted him up. "Put your boots on," I commanded. "And grab your weapons." I picked up Eric's combat boots and threw them in his direction. "You, too," I said. "We can't stay here. They've given our position away. We have to leave." I slipped on my own combat boots and retied them. I loaded my semi automatic shotgun. Eric and Zeke loaded their respective weapons. Eric had two 9 mm semi-automatic pistols, one in the each of the holsters on the belt on his waists. Zeke, on the other hand, had opted for his trusty semi-automatic assault rifle strapped to his back. He had had this since he was eighteen, before the outbreak. I grabbed all of the blankets and pillows we had slept on and gathered them into a pile by a window. With the butt of my shotgun, I smashed the wooden boards and opened a space for the air to escape. I lit one of our matches and set the pile of blankets on fire. If _they_ really were here, they'd be able to keep our scent and follow us. They were hunters. And they preyed on us.

"We have to leave," I repeated. "Go find the others. I think it came from outside. I just have to make sure these burn properly. I'll only be a minute." I can see Zeke hesitate. "Zeke, go find Uriah." He paused, but quickly nodded. He left with Eric close behind him. It wasn't like Eric would be of any use. Zeke knew it, too. He was weak and scared, and if the time came, I doubt he'd be able to fire those weapons of his. But I needed him out of the way. And Zeke was capable of handling the both of them, if he found Uriah and Lynn. They would survive.

So I kicked the burning blankets around and ended up throwing some of the wooden boards on it. I guess I had hoped the hunters would have a sudden fascination with fire that pyromaniacs do. I would at least stall them. When I was convinced my job was finished, I picked up the cartons of water tied together with rope. I threw that over my shoulders and continued to the door. The gunshots had since stopped, and I wondered if Zeke and Eric had found the others. I checked the safety on the shotgun; it was off. Good. Always be prepared. I walked into the stairwell of the warehouse. We were on the top floor, and the ground floor was two stories down. The stairs lacked windows, understandably, so it was black as pitch. The blinding feeling of the dark definitely upped the fear factor, but we had cleared out the entire warehouse before we had set up camp so, unless Uriah and Lynn had opened the ground doors, Hunters couldn't possibly be indoors. So I walked cautiously down the stairs, but kept that in mind.

When I got to the second floor, I nudged the door open. It was heavy, probably weighted, so I only held it open long enough to say Zeke's name. And when I did, it wasn't Zeke who responded. I pulled the door shut as soon as I heard it. It wasn't human. It was more of a groan of something dying. Or maybe it was already dead. Either way, I didn't stay long enough to find out. I moved away from the door quietly, but it didn't matter. Whatever was in there had seen me, or maybe it had sensed me. It slammed up against the door and screeched. Loudly. The small rectangular window on the door showed its face. This was the first time I had observed one up close. I struck one of my matches and brought it up to the window. **Warning: Gets a** _ **bit**_ **graphic.** I looked at its teeth first. They were rotting, all brown and dirty. They seemed to be disintegrating, as if they had been pulled from his mouth and then reattached. The tongue was missing entirely. I looked at the nose next, which made me glad I hadn't eaten anything for a few hours. I would have thrown up if there had been something in my stomach. The nose had been mauled, seemingly bitten off, almost completely gone. The area wasn't red, though, like there had been blood. No, it seemed like there hadn't been blood at all. **Graphicness ends.** Finally I looked at the eyes. That didn't last long. It became even more enraged, clawing at the window with its broken nails. I worried the glass would break, but I was too transfixed to leave. "What are you?" I whispered, not really expecting an answer. It was more of a question to myself.

There were more gunshots from downstairs. They sounded like they were outside, though. I whipped my head around and flew down the stairs. I sprinted through the ground floor to the exit. The double doors were already open. When I made it out, I was relieved to see the moon, giving light to giant lot. But it also gave light to the scene unfolding in front of me.

Zeke had found Uriah, but they were currently being attacked by a group of seven or eight of whatever was upstairs on the second floor. Lynn was a few yards away to my right, cornered against the warehouse. She had her dual knives out, tearing into two at a time. They were getting dangerously close to her, but when that happened, she would kick them away with her foot. Eric was missing.

I processed this all in a second, because the next, I was being attacked from the left. I brought my shotgun up sideways, blocking the attacker. It grabbed my weapon, but I overpowered it and kicked its stomach. It stumbled back, but didn't fall. I pointed the barrel of my shotgun at its head. I fired one shell at its head. It fell, dead. Hopefully. I looked back up to reassess the scene. My attention was caught by the rev of an engine. The headlights of an abandoned RV suddenly turned on and lit up the mostly empty parking lot. The door of it opened and Eric hopped out. "Come on!" he shouted across the parking lot. "Let's go!" He waved his hand in his direction. Lynn was the first to respond. She pulled her knife from the last one and slid them into her belt. She sprinted over to the RV thirty yards away from her. She was small, but her legs moved quickly. I followed close behind her. We covered the distance with ease. She got onto the RV, but came back out quickly with a rag. She handed it to me. "Start wiping down the windshield," she told me. She turned to Eric. "You," she addressed him. "Go and help them finish off those last few." Eric hesitated, but left, pulling his dual pistols out of their holsters. I turned back to wipe down the front of the RV. Lynn went back in and started throwing things out the door. Pillows, blankets, cushions from the benches inside.

"We could use those, Lynn," I warned her. "I burned the others." She stepped out reluctantly and gave me a look. She put them back. The gunfire stopped altogether from behind us, and Lynn and I turned to see the three of them running towards us. Behind them, ten or eleven of _them_ were running towards us. _Running._ I had never seen them do that. They were quickly gaining on them and would soon catch up before they reached the RV. "Have you ever driven before, Lynn?" I asked. I know it was stupid. She looked about seventeen, but I hadn't known her before the outbreak.

"Nope," she said, popping the _p._ She got up into the RV, and I followed her. She sat down in the driver's seat and pressed down on the gas. I leaned out and waved the three of them over. "Sit your ass down, Four!" she yelled at me.

I ignored her. "Get out of the way!" I yelled, still waving them over. "Move!"

They quickly followed the order. Eric ran to the right, while Zeke and Uriah ran to the left. Lynn accelerated before the running ones could follow. I came back in and shut the door, then sat against the wall of the RV. I held onto one of the benches to brace for the impact. I felt each body hit the windshield. It barely slowed us down. When they stopped, we slowed to a stop. The glass was completely covered in whatever we had hit. We couldn't see anything through it. We stayed like this for a minute in silence, before something hit the door. But it wasn't a knock. I looked to Lynn to find her staring at me, her eyes wide. She didn't look scared, just bewildered at the thought that anything could have survived that. I reloaded my shotgun and stood in front of the door. Lynn stood next to me, poised, ready to stab if something attacked me. I leaned forward and opened the door quickly. I stepped back and pulled up the shotgun.

Zeke stood outside the door, holding an unconscious over his shoulder. Eric was just behind them, watching their backs in case anything else attacked. I motioned them up and stepped out of the way. "What happened?" I asked while Lynn got back into the driver's seat. Eric came in and closed the door behind him.

"We turned the other way, but he tripped and hit his head," Zeke replied. "His head's bleeding." I helped bring Uriah into the room in the back of the RV, where the bed was. It smelled like mildew and some of the springs were broken, but it was a place for him to rest until he woke up. Zeke sat down and held Uriah's bleeding head in his hands. I returned to the hallway and felt the RV start moving. I don't know where Lynn was taking us, but as long as it was far away from here.

I started looking in the cabinets for some kind of medical supplies when I found a first aid kit. I brought that back to the bed and threw it next to Zeke. "There should be some gauze in there. Wrap his head," I suggested. "That's the best we can do until we can find some painkillers or something." Zeke nodded solemnly and looked down at his brother. Uriah was like a brother to me, too; I had known him since he was born, since we had been neighbors. I don't know what we'd do without him. I was afraid Zeke would become useless with sadness, so I was determined _not_ to lose him. He had to keep a clear head. "Zeke," I said. He looked up at me. "He'll be fine. I promise." Zeke nodded, but knew how little that meant for him. Promises weren't worth much anymore. There was no way to know someone could keep them. Not anymore.

…

 **Tris POV**

"I promise," I said to Will. "I'll tell them. Seriously. It's not like they can argue. This isn't a democracy. This is a beneficial dictatorship. They knew that when they joined our group." Will and I were discussing how to tell the group that we'd have to leave soon. He didn't want to tell them; for fear that they'd hate him for making them leave this place. But they didn't scare me and frankly, I didn't give a damn what they thought of me.

So we were at the main dining table, for breakfast, waiting for everyone to show up. Shauna had made Caleb go outside with her this morning and guard her while she gathered some wild berries and fresh water. She added that water to some powdered milk we had scavenged from the gated community. There were a few apples on the table from one of the houses, but not enough for everyone, so I skipped that. Caleb took one for the extra energy since we were planning on leaving the cavern today to find another van or trailer since everyone couldn't fit in the single van. He was the only one with the knowledge of mechanics. He was slowly teaching it to Will and I in case something happened. And it was just good to know. But today, Will would remain behind to help clear everything up so it would be easy to move tomorrow.

But first, we tell everyone about the move.

I hadn't been listening, but apparently Caleb had made a joke or something, because those who were at the table, Molly, Lauren, Shauna, and Will, all laughed. I smiled to make it seem like I had heard, but I really had no clue. Then, Marlene and Christina walked in together. Marlene was talking to her in a low voice, like she was explaining something to her. They reached the table and Shauna made them each a small bowl of fruit, while I poured them each a cup of milk. They both thanked us.

"So what was the joke?" Marlene asked. Caleb waved her off. "It was nothing," he said. She looked to me. I shrugged, just as lost as she.

They quickly included her in the conversation, but I stayed silent. I wasn't in the talking mood. And Christina had to ruin that by trying to talk to me. And about probably the worst subject.

"Tris," she said. "You said you'd tell me about the things that attacked us yesterday." She didn't necessarily say it loudly, but everyone still heard. They quieted. Well, now was as good a time as any.

"Yeah," I said. "I guess I did, didn't I?" She nodded, but it really wasn't a question. She waited for me to speak and I realized everyone else was, too. Then it hit me that most of the group hadn't ever killed one. Will and Caleb and I were the only fighters. Marlene had been with us from the start, and she was a medic, really. She had no need to ever fight them when we could. We had picked up Molly and Lauren along with two other guys we had assumed protected them, but they had either deserted or had been taken. We hadn't seen them for at least two months. And Shauna. We had picked her up before Lauren and Molly. She had a similar case to Christina's. We had found her on the side of the road, tears streaking her face. She had blood on her, but none of the Turned bleed, so it was human. She was unharmed, so it must have been somebody else's. Probably someone she had held as they died. A loved one. We never pressed the issue. I finished the mental checklist to see that everyone else was staring at me. I answered before they could think I was crazy.

"Well, it's complicated, Christina," I told her. "There are different kinds of… them." She still looked at me expectantly. Caleb got up and left. I wondered if I had said something offensive. I continued. "But there are the Runners. They're probably the second most dangerous. They can...run. Fast. They can catch you before you make it a quarter mile. But they're really the only ones that can run. The others walk, but they can still overpower you in groups. And there are the Creepers. They're scariest because they come out at night, but they can't run or anything. It's just the dark that weakens us. We need the light to fight them," I said. I wasn't actually sure why. "They're like vampires. I guess the sunlight either hurts their eyes or skin or something." I paused, thinking of the others I had encountered before.

"We call the legless ones Limps," I explained. "There's nothing special about them except that they lack legs. But don't underestimate them; they can still crawl quickly on their arms. They're just as deadly. The ones that are easiest to kill are the ones we refer simply as Turned. That's when they aren't any of the others that I named. They're slow and weak. They die after one shot to the chest or head. Remember, still just as dangerous." Caleb entered the dining hall again with a book in his hands. I didn't even know he had a book. But then he handed it to Christina, and she opened it. She flipped the pages slowly, and I realized it was a journal. The entries were detailed descriptions and drawings of the different types of Turned.

"What are the most dangerous?" Christina asked. "The ones most difficult to kill?" She continued turning the pages, skimming the entries.

I swallowed and looked at Will. I wasn't sure if I should tell them, but he nodded. I sighed at his need to include the group. We had gone this long without telling them. But if he said so…

"Well, those are the Sensors," I said. She stopped flipping the pages and looked up at me. "They can… sense us. They can hunt us, in a way. It's like they can remember us. Their senses are only triggered, however, if you make eye contact with one. They become more enraged and they fight harder to kill you. It's like they think you challenged them. It's difficult to kill them after you become their target. They'll kill you or die trying. And I mean that as literally as I can."

She didn't speak for a while, so I worried I had permanently scarred her. So I tried to fix it. "But don't worry," I reassured her. "Caleb and Will and I are the only ones that really ever fight them. The others stay at the shelter. You can stay with them." I really only said this to comfort her, but truthfully, everyone in the group needed to be trained with a weapon that is purely theirs. In case they're separated or attacked. And, in _all_ honesty, we needed more fighters in general. If one of us were killed and if the group kept getting bigger, we would still need more people to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Maybe she _would_ fight. Training her would have to be for another time, though.

I remembered what I was going to say before this conversation. I clear my throat. "On a completely unrelated topic," I announced to the room. "Yesterday, as you know, Will and Caleb and I went on the scavenging trip to the gated community. You also you we've been here for a long while. A little too long. It may be dangerous to stay here any longer, so the three of us have decided that we have to leave." Marlene looked down at her food, and Molly and Lauren made faces. Shauna was too understanding to disagree. No one tried to argue, thankfully. I continued. "Caleb and I'll be leaving the camp to find another vehicle to work, while Will will stay back to help clear the place up a bit. That means taking down the shelters and dumping the washing water. Finding all of the lamps and saving the kerosene in case we need them during the trip. We leave tomorrow morning. Tonight, we sleep without the shelters." I addressed Shauna. "You can take Will out and find the rest of the berries you may not have picked yet. Package everything that we can take with us. Anything we can't, we'll eat today and tomorrow morning." I waited for anyone to say anything, but no one did, so I stood from the table and looked to my brother. I nodded. "Let's go, then."

…

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Divergent or its characters.**

 **Oh my God, I loved this chapter. I enjoyed describing the Turned. And, normally, I hate writing Four's POV because I just can't write in his character, but I think I did this well. The chapter was also long, 3.5K. It might not seem long, but it is if you write it. Thank you, chocolates!**

 **Read & Review!**

 **~Viv**


	4. Chapter 4

**Vacant – Chapter 4**

Caleb and I had decided to walk from the camp to the highway, where there were more cars to choose from. And the ones we didn't like, we could always take the gas from. So we were making our way through the trees and fallen leaves in the forest, heading towards the van. From there, we could follow the trail to the highway.

"Tris," my brother said to get my attention. I was a few feet in front of him, leading the way. I was probably the best at memorizing the landscape, and navigating accordingly. I didn't respond, so he continued with what he was going to say. "Tris, I was thinking about what you said this morning." I scoffed.

"Well," I joked. "That's dangerous." From the corner of my eye, I saw him give me a look. I pretended not to notice. "I'm serious. What you said to everyone about the Turned." To be honest, I was genuinely intrigued about what he was talking about, but I saw the opportunity and I took it. He hadn't said anything since then, and I wondered again if I had said something to offend him. But, he pressed on. "You said something about the Sensors. And I know you don't like talking about them." He was right. I didn't. "But, we all know they're triggered by eye contact, right?" I nodded, but remembered he was behind me, so I verbally responded, "Yeah." We passed the covered van and turned to start following the path. It would take us to the highway in a matter of minutes.

"Right," he continued. "Well, it got me thinking. What if we didn't make eye contact?" he asked. I had a feeling it was rhetorical, so I didn't respond. "I mean, I know we have to see them to survive, but if we could find a way without triggering them, that'd put us ahead of them, wouldn't it?" he asked. That was an obvious one.

"And just how do you suggest we do that?" I asked him. We finally arrived at the highway. I sighed and looked down the road. The sun was almost straight above us, indicating it was close to noon. We hadn't packed food, choosing instead to save our food. We had brought water, though. I decided to take a sip now after the trek through the trees. I offered Caleb some, but he seemed preoccupied. I closed the bottle and brought my bag back onto my back. I started walking up the road towards where the abandoned traffic was heaviest. I assumed he was following.

"Sunglasses," he finally said. I hadn't realized he had actually contemplated my question. I hadn't actually been expecting an answer. I stopped and stared at him. "I mean," he paused. "It's just a possibility, I know. And we'd have to test it, but theoretically speaking, it _should_ work. If they can't see our eyes, they won't be triggered. But we'll still be able to see and fight them, right? It's the same science as one-way mirrors."

I was nodding. I wanted to believe this would work, but he was right, we'd have to test it. And there was the blaring problem that we didn't _have_ any sunglasses, let alone enough for everyone else that would need them. But I played along. "Okay," I agreed. "Say we did have a pair of glasses to test. Would you test them, or would to volunteer someone else to do it? Like me? Or Will?" I asked. "And even before that, how would you get a Sensor into the right situation without looking at it? Like you said before, it's just a theory." I dismissed the conversation. But he was persistent.

"Yes," he said. "But it's a theory worth trying. Don't you agree?" he asked me. He didn't let me answer. "And I'd be willing to be the one who tests it. I would. Honestly."

"Alright," I agreed. I really didn't see the point in arguing with him. He would do it whether I liked it or not. "Fine, but just wait until we're settled, okay. In the new camp. Not while we're moving. We have to focus on protecting the group rather than experimenting with Sensors." Caleb nodded and smiled. I don't know why he was so ecstatic I had agreed. He would have done it anyway, and I had a feeling Will would be all for it.

We had stopped to argue, but now I continued to walk through the cars, looking for cars that would fit four people in it. A truck would work, and another van would be phenomenal. A trailer would also allow us to take more things with us, but if we were attacked, it would just slow us down, so I decided against that. I told Caleb to look for that kind of thing. He nodded and we split up. I started walking down the rows of cars again. They were the abandoned traffic of those who had tried to escape the initial wave. But they never knew it was airborne. I thought back to when the TVs and radios still worked. Back to when there was still a society at all. For the first few days, it seemed like it was containable. A few of the news reports had claimed it had started somewhere in Peru, but others had blamed the Americans.

The United Nations had intervened quickly to try to contain the spread. Anyone who was infected became something else, completely void of humanity. The closest word there was to describe it was… _zombie._ But those were works of fiction and could never come true. But there was the undeniable proof of the disease. There were videos leaked to the media to try to warn the public, but the reaction was the complete opposite of what they had expected. There was mass panic. It had spread from wherever the origin was to North America in weeks. And the rest of the world had done nothing to help us. In fact, they had quarantined the two continents. We hadn't heard from them since then. For all we knew, the quarantine had done nothing, and they were all infected, too. We found out later that the disease was airborne, so without the communication, we had just assumed they were in the same state we were in. Or worse.

But here in the Americas, churches everywhere started preaching the sins of the damned and how they would burn in hell. Governments fell within a matter of days. The majority of the population tried to evacuate, but they found that to be useless. All that did was trap them and make them more susceptible to the infection. It made them easy mass targets for the already Turned. And soon after, there was no civilization. There were only the few stragglers who had barely managed to escape it for the time being. Probably fewer than two hundred million had survived in the whole of the Western Hemisphere. After that, most of the survivors were alone, and therefore weaker. Most of them probably only lasted a week or so. Finally, at this point, I had estimated there to be only a hundred million of us on the two continents. And in America, less than a million, all spread out across the country.

So the few of us that had survived had banded together. Anyone who had survived was worth something. We had all made it on our own at some point and we could all survive that way, but there was strength in numbers. And that went for both the humans and the Turned.

I took a deep breath and smelled the air. It wasn't a pleasant smell at all. No, it was a mix of old gasoline and death. Which was weird because only the Turned smelled like that.

I felt my eyes widen involuntarily. I pulled my pistol from its holster and aimed it in front of me. I was between a car and a coach bus. I turned my back to the bus and crouched down to the ground. I turned around and held the gun in front of me. Nothing still. I tried to quiet my breathing and calm my heart rate, but there wasn't much I could do. I didn't know what kind of Turned it was, and the not knowing was always the worst. If it turned out to be a Sensor, which I doubted, I had to warn Caleb. I would think it would have smelled or heard me. I swallowed and made sure the safety was off again. It was. I gathered my courage and stood up. I looked around once again before turning back to the bus. I had to do this quickly; I couldn't keep my back to the open for too long.

I looked at the bus's wall for any notches. One of the windows was open. I grabbed it quickly and hoisted myself up. I put my feet on it and my hands on the roof of the bus. I lifted myself completely on the bus and rolled over onto my back. I turned my face to the side and my eyes were met with someone else's. They were blue and hard. They were the eyes of a female. I opened my mouth to scream, but she brought up her hand. Hard. And her eyes changed. I knew then that she was not one to be trusted.

I tried to shake her off, but she was strong. Stronger than I had thought. I squirmed, but she brought her other arm around my neck and stood up, bringing me with her. We seemed to be the same height and same build. I brought my pistol up to try to hit her head, but she seemed to see it before I could. She knocked it away with the hand that had been previously been covering my mouth. I watched as it fell from my hand to the paved highway below us. I took the opportunity to scream for Caleb.

"Caleb!" I screeched. There was no answer at first, but then I heard him yell my name back. I tried again, but the girl brought her fist up and slammed it into my nose. I let out a groan and held my now bleeding nose. She then nailed her knee into my ribcage. I bent over and fell in pain. She rolled me over the side of the bus, so that I landed on my hands and feet on the road thirteen feet below. My head bounced forward and hit the road. I swore under my breath and felt her land on her feet next to me. I could hear feet pounding in both directions. I lifted my head up and saw someone appear in front of me. I didn't recognize him. He was dark skinned and thin. He seemed tall from where I was, but I knew my judgment was clouded.

From behind me, I heard my brother's voice. He said my name once, but I couldn't see him. All I saw was the man in front of me pull up some kind of pistol. He aimed it above me and I heard the shot fire from it. I didn't see exactly where it went, but knew it had hit its target because behind me, Caleb made an awful moaning noise and I heard something drop to the ground. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that he had been hit, but my head was so foggy, I couldn't manage a shout. Blood was now blinding my eyes. I heard some more voices and a little bit of shouting, but it was the same two voices, back and forth. But then it was quiet and I felt strong arms wrap around my torso and lift me up. All I saw as I was taken was the form of my brother, bleeding from the side. I think we made eye contact, but before I could be sure, the entire scene faded and I blacked out.

….

I don't know how long it had been, but I knew for a fact time had passed. And lots of it. The blood on my face was dried and crusted. My ribs were sore, but didn't feel broken. I still hadn't opened my eyes, in fear of my situation. I didn't hear anyone, but I sensed someone. Next to me. I opened my eyes into slits, so I could see, but so that whoever was there didn't know. What I saw made me open my eyes completely. There was a boy, around my age sleeping next to me. He wasn't the same boy who had shot my brother, but they looked similar. He also seemed to have some kind of head injury, since there was gauze wrapped around his head. We were in a bed with a dusty comforter. And I couldn't move without making some kind of noise, either. The springs of the bed were squeaky and the boy could wake up any minute. I swallowed and slowly inched off of the mattress after checking the rest of the room. It looked like a trailer of some kind. The door leading to the main area was closed. I looked to the windows. Their shades were closed and I hesitated to reach for it. I feared the boy on the bed would wake up and try to attack. But he hadn't moved for a few minutes since I had been up, so I began to think he wasn't going to.

I went ahead and slid one of the short curtains back and peaked out of the window. We were stationary and it was dark, nighttime. So, I was right. At least eight hours had passed. I moved away from the window and let the curtain fall back and cover it. I looked around the room again and something shiny on the nightstand caught my eye. It was by the sleeping boy, so I had to be careful, but I knew it was a weapon. It had a sheath, so it had to be a knife. I couldn't tell exactly how long it was from here, but it was clear it could do some damage. I silently crept around the edge of the bed where he was sleeping. I grabbed it quickly, and the sudden movement must have triggered his unconscious senses. He woke slowly, seemingly unaware of why. He sat up and leaned on one arm. I brought the knife around his neck and brought my mouth to his ear. "Don't fucking scream," I whispered.

And he did the weirdest thing. He laughed. He shook his head, still facing away from me and tried to shrug me off.

"Come on, Lynn," he said. "Knock it off. I just woke up. I'm not in the mood." He tried to turn around and push me away again, but I still held the knife in place.

"Neither am I," I threatened. When I said this, he seemed to realize his situation. He stiffened and I held the knife tighter; he seemed more likely to fight back now, even if he was still weak.

The last thing I wanted was to kill another survivor, but in this case, if he tried to fight me, it was either die or kill the son of a bitch. And I knew which one it would be.

"Who are you?" he asked.

He was right to ask that, I resented the tone of his voice, so I snapped back, "I could ask you the same thing." Well, I tried to say that anyway. In the middle of my sentence, he brought his hand up and grabbed the handle of the knife, which was excessively long. He had a good enough grip on it that he spun it out of my own grip and held it in his hand. He crawled quickly off of the mattress and stood at the other side of it. We stood across from each other, but the knife was in his hand. He made the first move; his mistake. He jabbed the knife at me, but I grabbed his wrist instead and pulled his forward. He landed on the bed and I saw the knife drop onto the bed on one of the pillows. He flipped himself over before I could stop him, but I got on top of him and straddled his waist. I grabbed the knife and brought it back again to his throat. I pressed it down to show that I wasn't kidding. I saw a small line of blood begin to trail down his neck. He whimpered and a small part of me felt bad, but then I remembered what they did to me. To Caleb.

"Now," I said. "Let me ask this one question. Who are you people?" I asked. I made sure my tone left no room for messing around. He tried to swallow, but ended up spitting onto my left cheek. I flinched, but kept the knife there. I considered pressing harder, but surely that would damage him too much. "Alright," I said. "Fuck you, too, then." I shrugged.

I dropped the knife and balled my fists. I punched his face twice, rendering him unconscious. Once I was sure of it, I got up and grabbed the blade again and swept off my clothes. I blinked a couple of times to clear my head and tried to make a plan. Yeah, that didn't really work out. I knew I needed to get back to Caleb and bring him back to the camp. The logical part of my mind knew the chances of him even living after the shot to the side. Especially being left out in the open past dark. He stood no chances with the wound and even fewer with the Creepers the sister part of me had to think he was alive. I had to think Will had come looking for us and found him. I hoped they had left for good and gone with the plan. I didn't know how many people there were here, or how skilled they were militantly. Caleb was injured and Will couldn't take them alone, which is how he would do it, of course. He wouldn't sacrifice anyone in the group.

So I had to find them before they found me. I slid open the door that led to the main cabin and looked into it thoroughly. No one was there but a blonde girl's head sitting in the driver's seat, but she was turned the other way, so I couldn't see if she was a threat. She was leaned across the chair in a weird position, so I crept forward towards her. When I was right behind her, I saw that it was the same girl that had attacked me on the coach bus on the highway. I resisted the strong urge to kill her now. She was the reason behind Caleb's condition, which was still unknown to me. But she was asleep, and if I killed her, I wanted it to be a fair fight. So I left her.

I turned to the door that led outside. The knife was still in my hand.

I opened the door and it swung out. I stepped down the stairs before I was met with the dark eyes of a man. He was talking to someone behind him, but while facing the door, probably about to enter. Change of plans.

"Well," he said to me, out of surprise. "So you're the new visitor?"

 **Whoop, whoop! Another chapter. After a while of not updating. What was it, like a week and a half? Well, here's the reason. My birthday was last Wednesday. And my brother is getting married on Saturday and it's all been really hectic with relatives and everything. I've barely gotten any writing time at all. And I'm really sorry about all of that, but I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Read and Review!**

 **Viv**


	5. Chapter 5

**Vacant – Chapter 5**

I attacked so he wouldn't have time to react. I flipped the knife in my hand and caught the handle backwards so the blade faced forwards. I swung the knife towards him, not giving him a chance to block the attack. It sliced somewhere on his forehead as he stumbled back a few steps, covering the wound with his hand. The other boy caught him by the arms. They both fell to the ground and grunted. From behind me, I hear the girl from the driver's seat sit up and I hear a pistol load and I decide I've waited there long enough. I drop the knife to the ground and take off running.

My side hurts like hell, but I know it would be far too risky to stop and rest. I hear from behind me someone yell some words, sounding like orders to the girl in the R.V. Then, I heard feet pounding after me. They were heavier than the girl's could have been, so I sped up a bit as the adrenaline took over. I knew if it were one of the guys, I would be overpowered

I couldn't tell where we were at all. I didn't recognize anything around me. It seemed like a farmhouse of some sort. The R.V. was parked back towards the actual house and I was now at the barn. At the red wooden doors was a table. And on the table lay a spread of various weapons. Guns and blades of all calibers and lengths. I looked around and peeked over the edge of the barn. The blonde girl was in the entrance of the R.V. The other boy, the one who shot my brother, was in it, moving it around. He was probably checking on the other boy I had knocked out earlier.

The last guy was nowhere to be seen.

I turned back to the table and armed myself. I stuffed two knives into my belt, one serrated, the other smooth. Then I grabbed a pistol. I didn't have the time to see what kind it was. I switched the safety on. There wasn't any need to shoot myself accidently. I looked around the barn once again. The girl was still at the entrance, but the blue-eyed man was now in the middle of us, looking around the perimeter. I looked back to the girl to see that she was looking right into my eyes. Mine widened. She yelled at the guy in between us.

"Four!" she shouted. She began to point. "She's right there; right behind the barn." The guy, Four apparently, turned and saw the back of my head. I was already off running. I heard him take off after me. It wasn't long before I reached the perimeter of the open space. Cornfields now stretched as far as I could see. I knew somewhere along the stalks, there should be a dirt road that the R.V. must have come in through and the owners of the farm would have used to enter and leave the property, and I knew I risked getting lost in the corn, but I didn't have much time to decide. Still I was stuck between the two choices. That was when the guy, Four, turned the corner of the barn and shouted at me. "Hey! Stop!" he yelled.

I turned back one more time to look at him. But that only lasted so long. He pulled up his rifle. I turned back and jumped into the corn stalks. I heard the rifle go off a couple times and flinched each time. If it hit me, I would die in the corn. That was not the way I wanted to go in this world. I wanted to die fighting. I kept running, though, so I knew he had missed. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline that kept me going. I had made it probably a straight mile into the corn, when I stopped to catch my breath. I leaned over and felt like vomiting. I wondered briefly if they had drugged me, but they didn't seem capable of that. It was probably because I hadn't eaten anything in hours. I looked up to the sky. It was dark, but the sun want completely gone yet. I figured I could use the light up as much as I could. Besides, I needed to get to some shelter before night fell.

…

Not even an hour had passed and it seemed like midnight. There was no light at all, besides the faint moonlight. But it wasn't even a full moon. I had exited the corn a while ago and was now walking on an open road. It was a highway, but not the same one where Caleb and I were attacked. This one didn't have any cars on it. And the pavement was all cracked and the yellow paint was faded. It seemed like more of a back road highway used by the rural citizens going to and from the city every month or so. But it was nice. That meant that there weren't many people who had Turned out here. And that meant it was less of a threat.

A sudden burst of wind from behind me blew cold air all around me. I stopped moving. It was freezing and I was not prepared for this kind of cold. I had cargo pants and a white tank top on. That wasn't nearly enough to protect me from the cold. I let my hair down from its bun. I pulled it over my ears and neck to protect that sensitive skin. The last thing I needed was frostbite. My toes were safe in their boots, but my fingers were bare. I stuffed them into my pockets. I looked ahead and then continued walking. My thoughts started running through my head of all the things that could be happening at the cavern. They would have taken the shelters down. They would have waited for Caleb and me to return. And after a while of waiting, Will would have left Marlene in charge and gone to find us. After that, I couldn't determine what would have happened.

Another burst of wind brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up ahead of me. I squinted and blinked a few times, but it was there. A gas station, not even a mile in front of me. I figured I could sprint the distance without a problem. In about two minutes, I was standing by one of the pumps. The actual convenience store part was boarded up and there were shards of broken glass surrounding the spray-painted glass. The OPEN sign was hanging by a black extension cord. I pulled out the pistol and clicked the safety off. I leaned up against the glass and peered through it, after wiping the dust and dirt off of it. Inside, I saw some shelves almost fully stocked. And there was the counter with the cash register. A tip jar was tipped over and coins spilled out. There was a door leading to the back room. But other than that, there didn't seem to be a threat. So I moved to the door and pulled it open. I entered, and when the door closed behind me, it was almost completely dark. The window let in very little light, but it was enough for me to guide myself behind the counter to the drawers. I pulled a couple open and found a flashlight. I turned it on, but it was weak. It would probably only last an hour. I turned it off to save its battery. I continued to look further and found a half empty box of matches. I grabbed those and turned the flashlight on once again. I started looking through the shelves for food and something to cover my hands.

I ended up finding some candles. I smiled. I had always loved candles. I looked at their scents. Vanilla Cream. Midnight Dream. Summer Nights. I wondered vaguely what the names were supposed to mean, because I certainly couldn't imagine what that was supposed to smell like. I brought a few of them to the counter and lit them. Then, I placed a couple of them on the tops of the shelves and lit those. That brought the place to life. I could now turn the flashlight of and rely on the candlelight. And the place smelled pleasant, too. I saw some water bottles on the bottom shelf and grabbed those. Then there was a travel pillow and blanket set on a different shelf. I set those by the candles on the counter and hopped back over it. I wanted to know what was behind the door in the back room. When people worked here, it was probably some kind of break room. It probably locked, and if it locked, I wanted to rest there. I pulled it open and backed up. The overwhelming smell of death blew out and into the main room. I gagged. One of the candles went out. I waited with the door open for anything to come out. Nothing did. I didn't want to go in, in case the thing was just waiting, but I couldn't see in it.

I pulled out and turned on the flashlight. I shined it in the room. Something shiny caught my eye. And I realized it was another eye. It stared back at me, but it didn't move. And it wasn't human. It never was. Then there was a whimper and I realized.

It was a dog.

I shined the light along its body. It was a big dog, too. And there was something wrong with it. Otherwise, it would have attacked me. I looked around the rest of the room and deemed it to be empty. I grabbed two candles and set them in the room, one by the door and one by the next to me, as I sat down next to the dog. It growled at me. I was wondering why it didn't get up and attack me, when I realized it was hurt. I looked at its side. The fur was all mangled and blood was everywhere. I shined the light on it. When I tried to touch it, the dog snapped at me. I pulled my hand back. But there was too much blood. If I didn't do anything, the dog would die. So I left and grabbed the first aid kit from behind the counter. I came back and the dog growled again. But when I touched the wound, it just whimpered. It was pitiful.

I started wrapping the wound in gauze. I began thinking what could have done this. If it was a Turned, then there was a chance that the dog could also Turn, but I didn't know if that was possible. I had never considered the disease to be affective on animals. I had to be careful still; if it was a Turned, it could still be around, even if it seemed to be gone now.

It only took a few minutes to wrap the wound. By then, the dog was quiet. It let me touch the fur and its head. I scratched its ears, and its eyes closed. I smiled down at her. I wanted so badly to keep her, but I couldn't care for her

I sighed at it. I think it fell asleep, so I figured I could, too. I wiped my hands on my tank top, adding red blood to the dust and dirt. I went back to the main room to blow out the candles. On the way back to the other room, I opened the main door and looked out. The road was clear in both directions. I grabbed the blankets and water and went back to the dog. I sat next to her for a second or two and stroked her fur. Then I scooted away and shook the blanket out on top of me. I leaned my head against the back wall and closed my eyes.

After a while I fell asleep.

…

 **Four POV**

I lost her. I lost her in the fucking cornfields. How stupid of me. How could I have done that? I don't even know how I managed to miss her with the rifle. I shot six times, six bullets, and she still got away. I didn't know what I was going to tell Zeke and Lynn. I swore under my breath. She had done something to Uriah, probably nothing permanent, but that didn't matter. Zeke was about to go off on me.

"Four!" he shouted from the R.V. "Four, I fucking swear!" He came down from the steps and ran into Lynn. She tried to hold him back, but to be honest, she was quicker and lighter, not stronger or more forceful. He was marching across the dirt towards the barn, where I was. I swore again and turned. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, but if he tried to fight me, it would be self defense. I swung the rifle over my shoulder so it hit by back on its strap. I held up my hands. I started walking in his direction, but I didn't start defending myself until he was a few feet away.

"Look," I said. "I'm sure he'll be fine. She's weak; she couldn't possibly have done much harm."

"He's out," Zeke argued. "Like _out_ out. Not waking up." Lynn finally reached us and tried to stand between us. Like that was going to do anything. But she still tried to push us apart.

"Zeke," she said. "Four's right. It's not like he's dead." He looked down at her and gave her a hard stare.

"And if he ends up dying?" he asked.

It was obviously rhetorical, but me being who I am, responded, "Well, you did shoot her boyfriend."

He looked straight back up at me. "You son of a bitch," he said and tried to swing at me. Lynn struggled against him and tried to bring his arms down. I backed up. I seriously didn't want to fight right now. I wanted to go check on Uriah and see if he would wake up, but there was no way in hell Zeke was letting me do that. Then the R.V. caught my attention. Lynn finally managed to calm him down as she saw what I saw. With our eyes trained on the door to the R.V., Zeke furrowed his eyebrows and turned to see what we were looking at.

"Told you," I retorted like a child, but I couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. Because there was Uriah, standing on the bottom step of the R.V., looking a little dazed and out of it. Zeke looked shocked but quickly recovered and shouted his brother's name. He kept his cool as he quickly walked over to him. Lynn and I followed close behind.

Zeke embraced Uriah tightly, and Uriah began to talk.

"She had a knife," he said, trying to defend himself. "And she's stronger than she looks, I swear." I could vouch for that. The knife she held had done some serious damage on my forehead. I checked to see if it was still bleeding. Not really. I'd have to wrap it later, though.

Then Eric came out from the farmhouse. I had totally forgotten about him. He had been taking a nap in one of the beds in the house. It had been hours, I guess. But he walked out as if it had only been a couple minutes. The screen door slammed shut behind him. He walked down the steps and made his way over to the four of us.

"I heard shots," he said. "So…what'd I miss?"

…

 **Back to Tris POV**

I woke up to light shining in my face. But it wasn't artificial light, it was actual sunlight. This worried me for a second because I remember falling asleep in the dark back room in the gas station. I opened my eyes quickly.

Nope, I was still here in the back room. I looked up at where the light was coming from. Only then did I notice the small window at the top of the wall. I hadn't noticed it before since it was so dark last night, but now it was so bright that I couldn't miss it. I threw the blanket off of me and to the side. I had the gross taste of nothingness in my mouth, so I grabbed one of the water bottles that was next to me. I chugged it all down in a matter of seconds. That woke me up a bit more to remember the dog from the night before. She was missing now, so I got up.

I pulled the pistol out again and checked the ammo. I realized I hadn't fired a single shot since I stole it. I didn't even know if it had bullets.

But yes, it was full. That boosted my courage. I didn't necessarily _want_ to kill the dog, but if it had, in fact, Turned, then I wasn't taking any chances.

So I nudged the back door open and aimed into the main room. Everything was the way it was before, but in the middle of the floor was the dog eating from a gnawed open box of Cheerios. I dropped my arms down to my side. In the sunlight, I could see that she was a German Shepherd, or maybe a mix of that and something else. I wanted to pet her and scratch her ears, but I also didn't want her to start following me when I left. So I figured it would be best if I left while she was distracted. I went back to the room and took only what I needed. I stuffed eight water bottles and the box of matches into a drawstring bag. Then I went back to the shelves and took some of the nonperishable foods. Then I opened the door to the outside. I pulled my weapon out beside me and looked both ways on the road. There wasn't anything out yet. Turned might come out later, so I didn't want to wait any longer. Will and the others could be long gone by now. In fact, they were supposed to leave today. I wondered if I could intercept them.

I started out into the hot sun. After a few minutes, I stopped. I sensed that something was following me. If Four or the rest of his squad had found me, I had no place to hide. I was completely exposed.

I turned around, expecting to see the R.V. Or maybe a pack of Turned that came out of nowhere, but no.

It was the lone dog, trotting behind me by about a hundred yards. I stood still as she caught up to me. She reached me and sat down in front of me. Her tail wagged against the cracked pavement.

"Go away," I commanded her. "I can't keep you." I turned and started walking away again. She continued to follow me. For a few minutes, I let her. But then I thought about if I got too attached to her. I stopped again and she sat again. She was a real sweetheart to be honest. She was only mean yesterday because she was hurt. I decided keeping her wouldn't be too bad.

"All right," I said, as if making a deal with the dog. "If I'm going to keep you, you're going to need a new name, aren't you?"

 **Wow. I liked this chapter so much. Like a lot. Now, I have a name in mind for the dog, but I'm taking suggestions. If you have a name that you think I might like, you can tell me, but I really like the once I've chosen.**

 **All right, thanks for reading and sorry for making you wait so long.**

 **Read and Review!**

 **-Viv**


	6. Chapter 6

**Vacant – Chapter 6**

It had been a few hours, and it was somewhere around midday by now. The sun was at its highest point in the sky, but I wasn't feeling it. It was sometime in September. I think it was the twenty-eighth, but I wasn't sure. Will had the exact date, something he had been keeping since the beginning. Above, the sun was about, but the clouds were all blocking it. I regretted wearing the tanktop because of the cold, but I couldn't have predicted Caleb would be shot and I abducted while on a simple trip for another vehicle. One we never even found.

Behind me, Zombie started panting again. **(Yeah, I named the dog "Zombie". Get over it, fam. None of you suggested anything different, so I'm not changing it.)** She had been following me since we left the gas station this morning and had been panting since about ten minutes into the trek. Her name was supposed to be a joke. In the circumstances, I thought it was a little funny to name her Zombie. Maybe a little ironic, too, but I needed some irony in my life at this point; something to laugh at. So the name stuck. And she was learning to respond to it quickly. She must have been owned by someone prior to the disease. And if she had made it this far alive, then she must have been resourceful, despite the whole "wounded in the back room of a run-down gas station" incident.

Right now, we were somewhere on an abandoned road. The highway had stopped a long time ago. It had led onto some kind of back road made of dirt. It wasn't the same one as the farm, though. No. I made sure I was going in the opposite direction. I wasn't trying to go back to those godforsaken rows of corn. In fact, I wasn't sure what I was doing, my feet were. I had been debating in my head where to go; back to the highway where Caleb and the others _might_ be, or to the city where we were originally planning to go. My feet had subconsciously started walking in the direction of the latter. And I was far too close now to turn back on the road.

So there I was with Zombie, walking along some kind of back road. I was hoping it would lead to some kind of shelter somewhere since I was starting to freeze. And I was tired, too. I needed somewhere I could sleep safely. It would be getting dark soon since it was getting towards the fall. Nights would be longer, which was a terrifying though considering the massive advantage the Creepers would have then.

So I when I stopped to eat and rest with Zombie, I decided we would make it fast. I stopped on the side of the road and sat down. Zombie plopped down beside me, still panting. I pulled out the opened box of Cheerios from my bag and turned back to see her sitting up, thumping her tail against the dirt with her head turned slightly to the side. "Aww," I said to her. "Such a cutie." I poured the rest of the box onto the dirt next to her. She stood up and started eating them. I took out a can of some kind of soup from the gas station. I used a rock to bend the can open. I looked at the white soup in the can and made a face. I know I didn't have a choice, but I kept thinking of how disgusted Shauna would have been. Even after these past few months, she remained determined to eat good and healthy meals. I was glad she hadn't been broken down yet by the current state of the world.

I downed about a quarter of the soup until I had to stop. It wasn't expired, but it was thick and filling, so I figured I could save some for later. I grabbed some of the torn tin foil from my bag and unfolded it. I wrapped some of it around the open candle and a rubber band held it in place just in case. I threw it back in my bag and turned to Zombie. She was sleeping already. I guess the walk had tired her out. I didn't blame her or anything; she was injured. So I laid down next to her and got comfortable. I didn't close my eyes for fear of falling asleep, but instead I curled up in a ball with my bag in my arms. I let out a breath to calm down. I started working on a plan in my head.

…

 **Will POV**

They weren't back. It had been an entire day, and they still hadn't made it back. Tris and Caleb had left approximately 24 hours ago to the highway. We were waiting for them, the entire group. We all had our things in bags and packs. All that was missing was the two of them. The others were getting anxious, but I tried my hardest to remain calm. They needed me in this moment, even though Marlene was trying to tell me that she could handle the group if I needed her to. I appreciated it. A lot.

After the first few hours they had been gone, we had started taking the forts down as planned. Then it passed noon. They were supposed to be back for lunch, even if they hadn't found a suitable car by then. When they weren't, some of us considered going out for them, but I was the only one who was capable of handling a weapon well enough to defend more than just myself. We couldn't split up, and we couldn't all go together. That was the dilemma. So we had sat and waited for them to return. After it became dark, we figured they had just been held up and had spent the night somewhere and that they'd be back by morning. It was a stretch, but by then I was clinging to any possibility.

But then here we were. It was around noon, and Shauna had made a small meal for the rest of the group to give them something to do. I wasn't eating it.

Suddenly, I got up. This startled the rest of them, since we were sitting in a circle. They all looked up at me. Marlene gave me knowing eyes. I then found myself lost for words. What was I supposed to tell them? That I was leaving them all alone to fend for themselves to be selfish and try to find my cousins, even though the rule was to leave without them if they were too late. Well, fuck it. The rule had already been broken.

"I'm going out," I announced. Marlene then looked down at her small apple. She dropped it and let her head fall into her hands. I think I heard her mutter something like, "Jesus fucking Christ." It didn't stop me.

"I'll be back in an hour," I told them. "If I'm not back by then, Marlene will take you all out of here." Lauren rolled her eyes. Okay, I was running out of time. I brushed my hands on my jeans and left the circle. I went to the entrance at the edge of the cavern, where the multiple duffel bags were. They held all of the stuff we were taking with us. We were supposed to wait for Tris and Caleb to be back before loading anything into the vehicles, but look how that turned out.

One of the bags was dedicated to the knives and guns. My pistol was already in its holster on my belt, loaded, but I grabbed two serrated knives and added them to the belt, just in case. Behind me, I heard footsteps growing closer, until they stopped right behind me. I didn't have to look. "Mar, I'm sorry," I said. "But they're my cousins. I'm not lea-"

"I know," she said. Except it wasn't Marlene. No, it was the new girl, Christina. "I know you're not going to leave them. And I'm not either. I'm coming with you." She said this in a tone that suggested there wasn't room for argument. I still tried.

"Christina," I said in kind of a small descending tone. She raised her eyebrows. I tried to stand taller, but she was still my height. "You can't come with me. You can't even shoot a gun," I tried to reason with her. But that wasn't happening.

"How do you know that?" she challenged me. Well, she wasn't wrong; I had never seen her fire a weapon. But from what had happened only a few days ago, I could tell she wasn't ready for a fight. What if she froze up in the middle of the fight? I told her exactly this. Yet she continued to be stubborn.

"Well, what if my specialty is a knife?" she asked. I was about to argue more, but she cut me off with a wave of her hand. I made an incredulous face. She can't just do that. She continued talking. "Look, Will," she started. "Your cousin, Tris, she saved my life, alright? She didn't even have to. She could have left me and none of you would have ever known. But the thing is: she didn't. She didn't leave me. And I'm not about to leave her. It's not fair to her." I stared at her for a long time. And she didn't look away once. "Besides," she said after a minute or two of silence. "I already told them I was going with you." My shoulders dropped.

"Fine," I caved. "But you follow me and do what I say. I got your back and you got mine." Her face brightened and she nodded.

"Great choice," she agreed. "You won't regret it."

…

Christina and I were almost to the highway, only a few minutes. We had just passed the camouflaged van. It looked the same, like Caleb and Tris had never even touched it. And maybe they hadn't. They had probably just passed it without a thought. Still, Christina and I checked in and around it to see if they had left anything there. Or if maybe they were hiding out there.

But no one was there. And they hadn't left anything to show that they _had_ been there.

So there we were, just at the edge of the tree line. We could see the cars just ahead of us by a few yards. I remembered back to when Caleb and I had looted the gasoline from most of them. They were in red gasoline cans strapped to the top of the van.

Christina looked at me deep in thought before snapping her fingers in front of my face. I snapped out of it. Right. We were here for a purpose. I cleared my throat and spoke to her quietly.

"Okay, we're going to go between the cars and check if anything moves, alright?" I told her. "I got the second row and you got the third." She nodded. "Let's move."

We both sprinted into separate rows of cars. She disappeared behind some silver Toyota. I crouched down and held the pistol up in front of me, with the barrel fully loaded. I continued walking through the cars cautiously. I didn't want to be caught by surprise. But at the same time, my mind was preoccupied by looking at the different cars. If they hadn't already found one, then we still needed one. So I gave myself that task. I got sidetracked. I stood up on one of the smaller cars and looked around for a suitable one. I turned in all directions to spot one. I didn't find a good enough car or any Turned, but I did spot a bus about twenty yards in front of me.

I hopped down and landed in a crouch. I slipped my pistol back into its holster. There wasn't any need for it at the moment. It was clear. I jogged a bit towards the bus. When I got closer, I stopped in my place. I looked down at the pavement next to the bus. There was a pool of almost-dried blood and a pistol lying a few feet from it. I recognized it; it was Caleb's. I whipped my own pistol back out. I crouched back down to the puddle and examined it with a closer look. It seemed to be about a day old. I looked around for what might have caused it. It was obviously human, and although I didn't have any proof, there was strong evidence to believe it was either Tris or Caleb's. By the amount, Tris would have died, and Caleb would be unconscious, but I didn't see either of them.

Instead, I noticed a thinner trail of blood leading between the rows, through the cars. I stood up straight again after placing Caleb's pistol in my belt. I followed the trail of blood for a few yards before stopping at Christina's voice.

"Will!" she shouted my name. It wasn't a shout of pain or terror, but there was a sense of urgency in it. I whipped my head up towards the sound of her voice. It was close, so I started running. I crossed through a row of cars and turned to the right. There was Christina, standing next to a black Toyota Highlander. One of the back doors was open and she was leaning into the backseat. I started walking towards her, and she stood back up, out of the car and looked at me. I wondered if she had found something, but that thought was quickly erased from my mind when I saw one of them creeping up behind her. It was a Turned.

I guess she saw my eyes widen in alarm because she began to turn around to see what I was looking at, but it had already grabbed her by the shoulder. It was a death grip. She turned completely now and began to scream. She fumbled in her belt for her knife, but it fell out of her grip and clattered onto the pavement. I saw that her gun was missing and concluded that she had set it down in the Highlander. I started running towards her but realized that I wouldn't be able to get to her in time.

I brought up my pistol to my line of sight and aimed. With two shots, the Turned dropped down and crumpled to the road. I rushed to her in the last few yards as she backed up to the Highlander. She looked shaken, but not legitimately harmed. I grabbed her by the elbows, and she rested her hands on my chest. I held her for a few seconds before she looked up at me.

"Are you alright?" I asked her softly. She swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "But I don't think he is," referring to the Turned that I had just shot.

I laughed at her joke, trying to make her feel better. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a real laugh, but I was too shaken to let it be funny. Then I noticed how seriously she was looking at me.

"No," she argued. "I mean, I don't think _he's_ alright." I furrowed my eyebrows, confused by what she was saying, but then she stepped aside and nodded to the backseat of the car.

There was Caleb, lying in the back of the car, unconscious, and covered in blood.

 **Tris POV**

I woke to Zombie barking, and I knew at that moment that we were in trouble. "Shit," I whispered. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I sat straight up and looked around. It was probably around seven at night. The sun was going down, but it was still too dark to see much Still, I could make out the sound of a Creeper a few yards away. I stood up quickly and whistled for Zombie. She came running from the north. She started circling me in a protective manner. She faced towards the south, from which the Creeper was approaching. There was fog covering most of the area in front of me; I could only see a few feet. But there was s Creeper coming from it. I thought I could take it with a knife, so I started for it, but then another one became visible, and another, and another.

I began to back away. I let my knife fall to my side as four became five and five became six. There was a crowd, and it was growing fast. I decided to opt out of this particular fight. I sheathed the knife and turned to Zombie. She was growling now, but still waiting for my command. I was surprised at her sudden and full trust in me and my commands, how she didn't question them. But I would marvel at it later. Right now, we had to get out of here.

I grabbed the bag from where it laid and called for Zombie to follow me. I began running north, where I had already planned on going. I was grateful for that. I slipped it onto my back while running and looked to Zombie. She was right next to me, running a bit faster than I.

We had been going strong for a few minutes before the sun really started to matter. It was going down quickly now. And I began to notice the tens of Turned coming out from the trees. It wasn't just the Creepers, though. No, some of the others started coming out now. Except, they weren't as much as a threat. The Creepers were the only ones who could see well in the dark, and the sun was almost gone. Still, if one or two stopped me, the others would all gather around at the commotion. And besides, they could always smell me. Or hear me. That thought sped me up.

It was useless. The others started crowding around the road. They began to block my way, and there wasn't any use trying to go through them. I turned around to think of a new plan, but stopped. They were right behind me. I turned in a circle, looking for an exit in any direction. Zombie was barking now and snapping at anything that tried to grab her.

I whistled at her again and turned to one of the areas with the smallest threat. I pulled up my pistol and started shooting blindly into the crowd. It lessened enough for the dog and I to get through. From there, we didn't stop. In fact, we ran even faster. We ran straight into the dark woods, leaving most of them behind us. Still, a few stayed on our trail.

After about a half mile of running, I realized just how bad of an idea this was. Now, I had lost my ground and didn't know which direction was which. I didn't know how to get back to the road. I didn't know what kinds of Turned would be in this area. I stopped to catch my breath. I bent over and put my hands on my knees. My head fell down between my shoulders, and I started panting like Zombie. She was tired, too, but could still run if we needed to. We were both high on adrenaline. A noise came from behind me of crinkling leaves and I turned around. A Creeper was stumbling towards me, but it was slow and stupid. I remembered their only advantage they had on humans was the dark and if they were in a group, and this one wasn't.

"Really?" I asked it, tired of its bullshit. Maybe I actually though it would respond. I sighed and pulled out the large underrated knife I had stolen. The other one was for my food. I walked toward it and grabbed its head. It made a weird noise I hadn't ever heard before, but I buried the knife in its head before it could finish. It dropped to the ground undramatically, the knife slipping back out as it fell.

I backed away and called for Zombie to follow me. We began walking again in no particular direction.

After a few minutes, Zombie's ears perked up, and she stopped. I looked at her, then in the direction she was looking. She didn't give me much time, though. She took off running again. "Zombie!" I shouted, and then stopped. I cursed myself before running after her. Any Turned in a five-mile radius would have heard me in the dead silent of the dark woods. I had to get away from that point. Ahead of me, I began to loose the sound of Zombie crunching the fallen leaves below her feet. I worried I would loose her for good. Then it was gone altogether. I still ran. "Zombie!" I called again. A second time. Then a third. I waited for a response.

Then she barked. Once, twice, three times. It was close, so I decided to walk the rest of the way.

It actually turned out to be only about twenty yards ahead of me. Zombie was lying on a pile of leaves. I walked towards her cautiously. She was looking at something on the ground. Nudging it. As I stepped closer, and I saw something glimmer on a finger, I realized what it was: a Turned. I'm sure my face had shown shock by her. Zombie had killed one by herself. A Creeper, by the looks of it. I looked down at it again. Yeah, it was dead. Completely. I even nudged it with my foot to be sure.

Then, a weird thought came to my mind. What the fuck was a Turned doing all the way out here? It either Turned out here, meaning the human part of it had once lived out here. Or it had been attracted by something else out here. Something that might have been human. I looked up to find some kind of evidence of this. I turned a bit and my question was answered. There I stood, right in front of a massive manor in the middle of the woods, wondering how in the hell I had missed it.

"What in the hell?" I said to the dog.

She barked.

 **I'm so sorry for not updating in, like, FOREVER. But to be honest, I usually forget about this story until some random reader follows it or reviews it, or this website otherwise notifies me. Then I'm like, "Oh shit! The chocolates are waiting on another chapter!" And then I end up writing an entire chapter in a day or two, and that is why they're sometimes shit. So in this case, I made this chapter a bit longer than usual for you guys. And just a small disclaimer: I am fourteen now and I just started high school. For the foreigners, it's kind of a big deal now that my grades actually matter since they'll be on my college applications. So although I'll still be updating, it might be sparser that usual. Really sorry and thank you all for actually staying though all my inconsistent updating. I love all of you chocolates. Read and Review!**

 **-Viv**


	7. Chapter 7

**Vacant – Chapter 7**

 **Tris POV**

We stood there, Zombie and I, staring at the manor. As we walked towards it, I saw that the windows on the first floor were boarded up with old wooden panels. And there were shards of glass surrounding the below them on the wrap around porch. Zombie was walking a bit in front of me, so she skipped up the six wooden steps to the porch where she then laid down to wait for me. I didn't step up to the porch immediately. No, I kept walking towards the grated foundation of the manor. I bent down to examine it further and see if it would support us. I knocked my knife on it a few times before Zombie made a low, growling noise. I looked at her, then where she seemed to me looking.

It was still dark, so I couldn't see much through the trees, but if she could sense something I couldn't, I'd take her word for it. I slipped my knife back into its sheath and stepped up onto the stairs. I went cautiously, still convinced it would give out under my weight. When I had made it all the way up to the porch, Zombie had then moved towards the railing, growling towards the surrounding trees. I decided it would be best to get her inside before she began to give away our position. I walked toward the double doors of the main entrance and called for her. She responded quickly, trotting to me as I swung the tall, French door on the right inwards. I waited for a moment, but nothing came rushing out, so I turned back once more to clear the woods before entering.

Zombie went in first, followed closely behind by myself. I pulled the door shut and made sure I heard the click. I slid the bag down my arm and off of my back. It hit the ground with a thud. Nothing responded yet. I crouched down and rummaged through it, looking for the flashlight I had kept from the gas station. I felt the handle and pulled it out. I flipped the switch on it, and the beam launched across the room. The light lit up a staircase directly in front of where I was crouched, about six yards away. It led to an upstairs, where I shined the light. The railing was elegant and white. It was also dusty, like everything else in the manor, I realized. I shined the light around a bit more. Through the door way on my right was a room that seemed to be a dining area. The table was covered with an old white table cloth. And there were dusty sets of plates and silverware in front of about eight chairs. An antique candleholder held five unlit, burned-down candles. I looked away to the left of the entrance, where there was just a wall with a framed painting on it. I stood up to look at it. I shined the light up at the frame and jumped back from surprise.

It wasn't even I painting at all, I realized; I was a mirror. So the beam bounced back at me, and I was almost blinded. I stumbled back even more and began blinking wildly. I wasn't prepared; my eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. I knew I must have walked backwards through the doorway to the dining area when I bumped into the table. It collapsed under my weight, combined with the old age of the wood. The legs snapped and the tabletop spilt down the middle. I dropped the flashlight and fell through and was enveloped by the white cloth. I fumbled to free myself from the suffocating situation. Then Zombie started barking. I tried to quiet her down, to tell her I was fine. But I wasn't what she was concerned about. I freed my head just in time to watch as the Turned fell down on me. It was making a weird hissing noise as she clawed at me. I saw her apron and stringy hair falling into my face and tried to push her off. I grabbed for my knife, but her hand enclosed around my wrist. The amount of force she managed on me was surprising.

I looked into her eyes, and even in the darkness, I could see my scared reflection in her own infected pupils. The amount of fear I saw fueled the fight in me. I brought my knee up and pushed her off. From there, Zombie pounced on her. I was now kneeling and I took the pistol from my belt. "Zombie," I said. She jumped off and backed up, which gave me a clear sight of the Turned. It sat up, and I buried a single bullet into her mouth. She hesitated for a moment before falling back into a lying position. She was still and dead. Zombie stopped snarling as she sensed that the danger was gone. I got up completely again and pocketed the gun. I brushed the dust from my shoulders and pants.

I panicked when I felt a sharp pain in the back of my left arm. It had scratched me, hadn't it? I looked back and examined it. No, it was a puncture wound, but it wasn't one caused by a nail. I looked back and saw a drop of my blood drip from the tip of the candleholder. One of the candles had fallen off, and the point had stabbed me when I had fallen back. I held the wound as it bled; it was only a few centimeters deep. It would heal. I grabbed the flashlight from the floor and looked around again. Towards the edge of the dining area was a door. I moved to open it slowly. I brought the light up in one hand and my pistol in the other. I scanned the entire room quickly, calling it empty. It was the kitchen, I realized, as I noticed the marble counters and old white wood cupboards. I looked to the wall and flipped the switch out of habit. The light bulbs above me in the chandelier sparked and burnt out. Sparks fell from them and showered down on the linoleum tiles. I sighed. Instead, I set the flashlight upright on the island in the center of the room and looked around.

The kitchen was nice, but old like the rest of the house. It had a Victorian-era like feel from the architecture. But still there was a taste of modern sense in the house. Like the counters were marble, the floors were tile, and the drapes around the windows were long and black. They just brushed the floor. I walked over and brushed my hand against them. I pulled them aside and noticed a Bible sitting on the sill. I flipped through the pages, but continued to look outside. This window was also boarded from the outside, but I could still see through a small slit in the wood. Zombie sat behind me, panting.

The trees were still, and the night was dark. There didn't seem to be any threats outside of the manor. I turned back to the counters. I looked around and started opening them. I found nice china, expensive antique silverware and the wine glasses. I then found a small door the led to the pantry.

I opened the door and immediately regretted it. A horrible stench came from the room and I closed the door quickly. I grabbed the flashlight from the counter and went back. On my way, I grabbed an old washrag from the sink. I held it over my mouth. I opened the door again and stared into the pantry. I felt the washrag drop from my hand as I stared at it. "Jesus Christ," I breathed.

From a rope in the ceiling, hung a man, dead. But this was different. He wasn't Turned. He was like me. His face was normal, only paler and stiffer, but it was obvious he had never been infected. His flesh was whole, untorn. His clothes were also of a new style; nice, expensive jeans and a tucked in dress shirt. He looked like someone I would have seen, visiting the city. Still, I wasn't convinced he had figured out how to remain unturned, even in death. There wasn't even a chance he would come back now. It was obvious he had been dead for a while; the stench proved it.

I walked towards the suspended body and poked it.

It rocked back a forth a bit.

I swore at myself for doing that.

I reached up and touched his face with the back of my hand. It was cold, but smooth, clean-shaven. I reach up even further and hovered a finger over his eye. I hesitated for a second before lifting the eyelid.

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. They were clear and blue, like my own. Sure, his pupils were dilated and glassy, but they weren't cloudy like that of a Turned. I looked around the pantry again and saw for the first time all of the food. It seemed like they had been stocking up. They may have lived in the city during the rest of the year, but for some reason, they had driven down here to their private property in the woods of Illinois. They knew what was happening, and they decided they would prepare for it. Gallons of water were stacked against the back wall, and canned goods lined the others. I walked toward the water, thirsty for anything to cool my dry mouth, but my foot kicked something below me.

I looked down at the ground, where there was a small black box, one that would have held a ring at some point. Then it clicked in my mind. I looked at the ring finger on his left hand and saw the wedding band. I remembered the girl outside, the one whom Zombie had killed. Something had flashed on her finger. I realized now that it must have been an engagement ring. The Bible on the windowsill must have been the Bible to marry them.

They knew about the disease and they wanted to die married, together.

 _Well, that didn't work out now, did it?_ I thought to myself. _Oh my God, I'm so bitter._

I wondered what had happened. Had she Turned and the cooking lady following right after that? Had he known there wasn't a way out of this, and decided he would kill himself? And if so, why didn't he turn? Had he been immune to the disease?

How?

I'd figure that out later. I had other things to do right now. Like sleep.

So I moved around the pantry and grabbed a few cans of fruit. I set those on the island in the center of the kitchen. I went back and forth between the two rooms and grabbed water gallons, cereals, ripened fruits and vegetables, until there was a mountain of foods for Zombie and I to choose from. I kicked the door shut behind me to cut off the stench. I decided if I were to stay here for more than today, I would cut the body down and bring it outside.

Zombie was now wagging her tail up and down, but she was still sitting. I opened a single can of peaches for the two of us and poured some water in a dish for her. I found a fancy sparkling water and poured a glass for me. I sliced some of their bread for us and spread a few slices with an apricot preserve. Zombie started whining, so I gave her a plate of them, with some of the kibble I had found in the back. She didn't question it, but I was wondering where their dog was, if they had food for it. I hoped I didn't find it. I couldn't keep another one, but I wouldn't be able to kill it. Twice.

…

After we ate, I went back to dining room and grabbed a chair. I brought it back to kitchen and leaned it up against the pantry door. I didn't want anything else besides me getting into there. Or _him_ getting _out_ , even with the slightest chances.

I called Zombie out, and we left the kitchen. She ran towards the entrance, thinking we were leaving. But I stayed behind and used the same chair method on the door connecting the kitchen and dining room. I turned back to leave, but saw the lady with the apron lying on the ground, on the wreckage of the table.

I slipped the bag off of my shoulder and walked to the front door. I had Zombie sit on the porch and keep an eye out. Meanwhile, I grabbed the woman's underarms and began to drag her out. Once we were on the porch, I propped her onto one of the white wicker benches. I stood back up and stretched my back out.

I looked out and saw something move in the trees. Zombie saw it, too. She made a low, growling noise, but I shushed her. The noise would attract even more of them. I pulled out a knife, deciding the pistol make just as much noise as a bark would. The figure emerged from the trees, stumbling, but it hadn't seen us yet. I could tell it wasn't a Sensor then.

It came out, stumbling through the leaves. It was missing an arm, but the other one held something in its hand. It was a dark red. I stepped down off the porch with my knife. It turned and saw me. The Turned made a noise from deep in its throat, starting towards me. I covered the last few yards quickly. It tried to swipe at me, but I slashed its throat with a swift flick of my wrist. I felt the cold blood splatter across my face. Ugh. It fell to the ground. I wiped the blood away from my mouth and eyes. Looking back down at the Turned, I saw the fresh blood of something else on its hand and mouth. It had eaten. Recently. By the amount of blood, I figured it must have been something big, like a deer. Or human…

The thought of another live human being this close to me really messed with my mind. Especially since I couldn't even have helped them. I put the knife away and sniffed. I turned back away and made it to the manor quickly, calling Zombie in behind me and shutting the door.

I slipped the candles off of the holder and set them at different points around the first floor. I lit them in a way that lit up the majority of it, giving it a sense of home. When I finished that, I found a dish from the dining room and placed a lit candle on that; I was going upstairs but didn't want to waste the batteries of the flashlight.

I called Zombie and told her to follow me. I crept up the stairs, wincing every time the wood creaked. I knew the probability of something else being up there was small, tiny even, but there was always the chance. I grabbed railing up at the top and looked at the different doors up here.

There was one directly across from the landing, two on the next wall, and one at the end of the corridor. I walked to the nearest one first, the landing door. I grabbed the knob with Zombie crouching in front of me. I twisted it and Zombie launched herself inside. Nothing was there, though. Instead, there was a large window along the far wall. I walked towards it and saw that it looked out upon the back of the yard. The darkness covered most of the view, but I could still make out the wrought iron fence enclosing about an acre of land, all covered in fallen leaves. They were dark now, but I was sure they'd be colorful in the morning. I looked to the edge of the window, where the red velvet curtains were pulled back. I set the candle down on the window sill for a moment. I turned back around. I remembered the quickly shut the door. I don't think I was going back out tonight, and I needed to make sure nothing was going to come in during the night. The door swung shut and I locked it with the three locks, one a chain, one a slot, and the last was the key that was already in the door. I turned it and then pocketed the key. I turned back and looked at the room as a whole this time.

It was very pleasant to the eye. Everything was like the outside: old, but in a classic manner. There was a massive four-pillar bed, with polished brown wood and red sheets and pillows. Red drapes fell around the edge of the frame, making it fit for a queen. I almost fell asleep just by looking at it. It was then that the adrenaline drop really hit me. I knew I'd be out like a light in a few short minutes, but there was another door leading out of the room, which I couldn't just let sit there, unchecked.

It was across the room, so I tried to move quickly. The door was unlocked and slightly ajar. I knocked on it, and then nudged the rest open with my foot. The knife was out again, hanging loosely from my right hand. The room was exactly what I expected it to be. A washroom. It was just as elegant as the master bedroom, too. The white tub could probably fit three or four people in it. _Excessive, really,_ I thought. There didn't seem to be a lot of people in the house to occupy the one tub, and one person didn't need that much space. There were two sinks across from the tub, also white.

The faucets were silver and shiny, as if they had still been in use for the last few months. The mirror stretched in front of the sinks, along the entire wall. It was not as pristine as the sinks, though. No, it was covered in dust and grime. I moved inside a bit more and looked inside the bathtub. There was mold near the drain, but the rest was all dry. The tub sat against a black tile wall. On the other side of that, the wall held two separate showerheads. At this point, I was practically rolling my eyes at these people before remembering it probably wasn't in my best interest to mock the dead. But if I had known these people before the apocalypse, I probably would have disliked them and their money.

I left the washroom quickly and closed the door behind me. It didn't lock from the outside, though. I saw Zombie lying asleep on top of the royal-looking bed and decided to join her. I slipped the bag off of my shoulder finally and let it rest on the bedside table, along with the knife. I took off the pistol and belt, setting them with my other gear, although I made these items a bit more easily accessible. In case of emergency.

I slipped my cargo pants off and got an idea. I looked around the room for a dresser. When I saw it, I realized how hard it would have been to miss. It was on the other side, the left side, of the bed. I moved over and forced myself to look inside. I felt an enormous amount of discomfort and disrespect when I pulled the drawers open, feeling like I was intruding, but knew for a fact that the couple wouldn't be needing it any longer. I looked through the drawers until I found what looked like the woman's clothes. She seemed like my size as I held up one of her gowns to my body. I then pulled my blood-stained, dirty tanktop over my head and slipped the gown on. It was soft and silky, and the discomfort I felt had nothing to do with the fabric.

I walked back and lay down on the soft mattress. Honestly, it felt like heaven. **(Shout out to my other story!)** I started to wonder how bad it would be to just die right here. It wouldn't be painful. It would be serene, though. I guess it wasn't the worst way to go. I drifted off the sleep with these thoughts in my head.

But they were gone by morning when the knocking came from outside.

 **Oh my God. I'm so sorry for that last sentence. It just came to me because I was thinking about how to interpret this next character into the story. I guess I could have left it out, but I find pleasure in watching you suffer. Joking. I'm joking. Promise.**

 **Oh, I'm not sure you care, but I'm going to tell you a bit about my day. For those who don't know, I have awful stage-fright and borderline anxiety. But I was stupid and took Drama I as an elective. I know. Bad decision making skills. But that's beside the point. Anyway, today we had to present a monologue, which is like a short speech from a play. And I totally psyched myself out for it. My heart was beating and my mouth was dry, but once I got into it, I totally nailed it. It was great, and I was definitely top 5 in my class. Just thought I'd share, but you probably don't care. Oh well.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the chapter, and sorry for the lateness. And Happy Yom Kippur!**

 **Read and Review, my chocolates!**

 **-Viv**


	8. Chapter 8

**Vacant – Chapter 8**

The first thing I did when I woke was hear the knocking, so I assumed that was what had woken me in the first place. But then I saw the light shining through the large glass window, and knew I'd have woken soon after. But back to the knocking.

The _second_ thing I did when I woke up was reach for the pistol beside the bed. I loaded it and aimed it at the door, although I knew it was locked. I waited there, leaning back on one elbow, but still lying down on the bed. The knocking stopped, so I thought it had just been my imagination, but then it started up again. And when that happened, I realized it wasn't coming from the bedroom door, on the landing. It was quieter and further away. It was coming from downstairs, more specifically, the front door.

And then the three burst knocks made me realize something else: a Turned couldn't be making that noise. Not with that amount of even force in each knock, not to mention the obvious pattern it was making. So it had to be an Unturned, a human, making the threat just as dangerous. Then a voice started saying something, yelling really, but I couldn't make it out. I got up quickly, setting the pistol down. There was no way in hell was I letting this stranger fight me in a silk gown.

I stripped it off and ran back over to the dresser, still in my old sports bra and panties. I couldn't just replace my old clothes, although they were the ones I felt most comfortable in. They were torn and dirty, so I figured I'd just throw them out later. So I started throwing the clothes out of the dresser until I found something that could pass me as having lived here.

Finally, I found something suitable, a pair of expensive looking skinny jeans and a button down red and black flannel. I slipped it on and buttoned the front down. From there, I slid my belt through the loops and adjusted the pistol into its holster. This all took less than a minute, and at that point, I was sure the stranger downstairs was about ready to bust down the door. I had yet to figure out who he was and what he wanted here. Then I finally noticed Zombie still lying on the bed, passed out. She must have been really tired, I assumed.

I decided to leave her in the master bedroom as I unlocked the door and left, although I didn't close the door all the way, in case she needed to leave. Or I needed her to.

I seemed to fly down the stairs, while still maintaining stealth. I didn't know if I wanted the stranger to know if someone was here. I realized the banging on the door had stopped, so I assumed maybe he had left, but instead, I saw movement around the corner of the house, through the window. He was on the porch, looking inside. I crept around to the front door and loaded my pistol. I made a big show of opening the front door, making it squeak loudly. I looked outside for the man and saw as he straightened up from looking in one of the far windows. He backed up and looked at me. I didn't make eye contact, but he didn't seem to want to fight me.

As he walked towards me, I saw the relief flood his face, like he was ecstatic to see me. Like he had missed me, or worried about my well-being. And as he got closer and closer, I noticed how large of a man he was. He seemed like a giant teddy bear, though, without much muscle, but with lots of meat. He seemed a bit older than I, maybe twenty-something. The man was wearing a large white T-shirt, with some type of logo with gears on it. And he wore worn out jeans covered in grease stains from motor oil. He seemed to wait for me to greet him, but when I didn't, he wasn't offended. No, instead he reached his hands out to me. I backed up, before realizing my mistake. The man obviously thought I was someone else, so I played along, just to keep a protective cover. I let him hold me for a brief second, which seemed to be all he needed from me. He smelled of oil.

He spoke. "He's inside, right?" he asked me. I continued with the charade, nodding. He walked straight into the house, and I followed closely behind him to keep him in check. He looked into the mirror to the left and made eye contact with me through it. "You know," he started. "I was starting to think you two weren't here. I was worried you hadn't made it out of the city before it was hit. You know I had to wait for a while, with the whole mass panic and everything. I've been on the road for a few weeks." I wasn't really listening because at that moment, I remembered the fallen table and the broken chairs. It was too late. For him.

I looked at his face, as it seemed to dawn on him that something was off. But when he turned to me, all he saw was the barrel of my pistol. His hands came up in a surrendering motion. He swallowed. "Who are you?" I asked him. "And what are you doing here?"

He stuttered before answering weakly. "D-D-Diane, it's me," he claimed, thinking that would mean something to me. He was looking between me and the weapon that stood in the way of the rest of his life. His eyes lingered on it a little longer, though, with his eyebrows furrowed. "Where's your ring, Di-" he stopped, seeming to realize his mistake. _A bit too late for that._

"You're not Diane, are you?" he asked me. I shook my head, although I think he knew how I'd answer. I remembered the girl in the front of the house, the one who had Turned. She had a ring; she was the wife of the man who had hung himself. This guy standing in front of me had to have known the man in the pantry. If he had known Diane, he would have realized that I wasn't her. And he wouldn't be in this current situation.

We both seemed to know that he held the bigger and stronger advantage, but I had the gun in his face matched with cat-like reflexes. He wasn't getting anywhere. We both seemed to know _that_ , too. I waved the gun in a circular motion. "Turn around," I said to him. He opened his mouth to try to argue, but he seemed to think better of it. He did as I said. "Now come over here and walk up the stairs," I commanded. This time, he really did look like he was going to argue, but to silence him, I lowered the hammer on the weapon. He really shut up this time, realizing I was seriously considering killing him. Twice.

So he started walking up the stairs, and I followed him. At the top, I spotted Zombie sitting on the landing, by the master bedroom door. She growled at the man. "Zombie," I called her off. She stopped, but still kept her cautious stance. I heard the man in front of me scoff as we came to the landing. I squinted, although he couldn't see me do it. "What?" I asked. "What are you laughing at me for?" I saw as he shook his head from behind.

"Nothing," he claimed. "It's just…you named your dog 'Zombie'?" he said. "Isn't that a bit ironic after what's all happened?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I walked him down the corridor, until we came to the furthest door at the end. He reached for the handle, but I pushed the barrel of the pistol to the back of his head. He stopped and let it go. I saw him swallow.

"What's your name?" I asked him, after a few seconds.

He answered, "My name is Al." I nodded. The name fit him. If I had tried to imagine an Al, I'd have pictured this kind of guy.

"Well," I said, pulling the gun back. "Sorry, then, Al." I swung the pistol forward towards his head with enough force for him to drop to the ground. He didn't even hold his head where I had hit it. He just dropped…like he was dead. I backed up to avoid him clipping my feet. Although I knew he wasn't dead, since I had done that move before, I still began to think of if he turned out to be dead. If he Turned, there wasn't a chance in hell I'd be able to fend him off. So, to make sure, I stepped forward and bent down. I hovered my fingers right above his neck and found the pulse. It was slow, but steady. At least it was there. I heard a quiet click-click behind me and turned to see Zombie trotting over to where I was. She was panting, and she nudged Al's crumpled body below her.

"No," I said. "Zombie, back." She whined and backed off. She got behind me and lay back down. I hadn't realized just how tired she was. I knew she wanted to sleep, but she also wanted to be with me at all times to know what I was doing. I rolled my eyes. "Go," I told her. She got up, like we were both going somewhere, but I pointed to the far door. "Go," I said again. This time, she went, but sulkily like she thought I was mad at her. She crept back into the master bedroom, leaving me to deal with this Al guy by myself.

I straightened up and moved to open the far door next to us. I had to step over his arm, which freaked me out, since the little paranoid part of my mind was convinced he would come back and grab me. I did it quickly.

I reached for the door handle, which was dustier than any of the others, leading me to think it hadn't been used even when people were still living here. But I grabbed it anyway and twisted it. The door swung inward with a loud creak. It was a dark room, without much light. Out of instinct though, I reached to the wall next to me and my hand found the light switch. I flicked it and, to my surprise, a light bulb was struck to life, hanging from a thin chain in the middle of the room.

I jumped back and blinked in surprise.

I stood for a second in shock, staring at the bright light bulb. Well, it wasn't really bright, but dim, and compared to the natural light I had been seeing for the past few months, it was _really_ bright. My step stuttered as I walked towards it. If they had power…

My thoughts trailed off. Instead, I got an idea. I spun and jumped back over Al's body. I practically sprinted through the hallway until I came back to the master bedroom. I threw the door open the rest of the way and bounded through the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Zombie's head pop up from where she was lying down on the bed. I then burst through the door that led to the washroom. I stopped there and tried to lower my hopes. I knew how let down I'd be if it didn't work. But I had to try it.

I walked the rest of the way to the first faucet. I let my hand rest on the handle for a second before I couldn't take it anymore. I twisted it.

There was an awful clunking noise at first, and I considered turning it off in case something was horribly wrong. But after a few seconds of staring at it, a steady stream of some kind of brown, chunky liquid began to pour out. I wrinkled my face and stepped back, disgusted.

I was actually about to turn it off for real when it started to clear up. The water became clearer, and the stream became thinner, but it was still there. I waited there and let it run. After I was sure it was going to stay clear, I moved toward it and pushed my hands under it. It wasn't cold, but it would have to do. I then cupped my hands and let them fill up.

Once the water was flowing over the top, I brought it up to my face and drenched it. I swear I could feel my soul being cleansed by this. Well, maybe not, but I did feel as the dirt fell off of my face, along with the blood from the Turned yesterday. I rubbed the water into my face and scrubbed. When I felt that was satisfactory and became slightly worried of it running out, I moved onto my arms. I actually took off the flannel and brought the water all the way up to the shoulders. I don't know how long it had been since I had actually felt running water from a faucet. The sitting water in the coal cart hadn't been very refreshing.

As I thought about it, I began to worry about how long any of this would last. They probably had some kind of generator out in the yard, or maybe in the basement, if they had one. And the water was still running, probably because their water ran on a well, and not the city's water system. Even if that were the case, the water probably wouldn't last much longer, if it had been dormant for more than just a few months. I splashed my face one more time, then turned it off. I used the flannel to dry my face, picking it up from its crumpled position on the tiled floor. Then I looked in the mirror. I couldn't help but be a little disappointed when I saw again that it was covered in shit. Not literally.

I opened the two drawers in front of me and looked through them. The regular toiletries were here; toothbrushes, paste, bar soaps, the man's shaving cream and razor. Then I knelt down to the cupboard beneath the sinks and opened them. There were bottles of soaps with stupidly elegant names that only rich people would buy. There were other things, too.; ladies' products, loofas, other razors. I grabbed a box of something because I couldn't see what it was. They were pregnancy tests. I took the box and set in on the counter above me. I pushed everything else aside and finally found what I was looking for: a simple washcloth. I grabbed it and stood back up. I folded it twice and bent over the counter to the mirror. I did one swipe across it, making a single clear arch.

In that arch, I saw him standing behind me. Al.

He didn't give me any time to react or explain. He grabbed my hair in a single hand, and I dropped the washcloth. My hands flew up to where he held me, but he pushed my head forward into the mirror in front of us, and I screamed. I felt more than heard the glass shatter from the impact, and I swear something in my head shattered, too. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that I was shirtless, and I couldn't help but feel the embarrassment that burned my cheeks.

I gave up on trying to grab his hand, but instead reached for my belt where both the knife and pistol were. I grabbed the knife first, figuring he might stand down, but still not wanting to fatally harm him. I wanted to know what he was doing here. And he came from the city. He knew how to get back.

The knife turned out to be a bad idea. It didn't take him long to knock it out of my grip, although, to be fair, I didn't have much of a grip on it in the first place. It flew across the bathroom and landed in the second sink three feet away. He still had his hand in my hair, so I turned around, although it hurt to do that, and tried to spin him around. That didn't really work out. I grabbed at the counter for either some kind of grip or something to throw at him. My hand landed on one of the drawers' handles. I remembered back to when I was with Christina, when I had pulled one of her dresser drawers out and threw it out of the window. I used the same method. I pulled the wooden drawer out and swung it towards his stomach. It made its target.

I felt his hand leave my hair and groaned. I was sure he ripped some of it out. He groaned too, though, from the pain. He doubled over, and I then kicked his side. He was big and clumsy, so he actually stumbled back a few feet and fell into the white tub. He hit his head during the fall, and he lay still. There was blood dripping from the faucet, where his head had hit it. I swallowed and held my head, where his hand had ripped my hair. I felt my eyes water.

This wasn't at all what I had planned. I grabbed the flannel from where I had dropped it on the counter and slipped it on quickly. I buttoned it and stopped breathing; I thought I heard something. Then I focused on the sound- it was Zombie behind the door. She was whining and I knew why she hadn't come and helped me with Al.

That bastard had locked the door, knowing she would have tried to help me.

I went to the door and unlocked it. I pulled it open and knelt down to Zombie, where she came to me and sat with me. She was begging for attention, and I felt bad for telling her to leave a few minutes ago.

I stood back up to deal with Al for a final time, and she stood with me. I walked out into the main room. I started looking around for something to tie Al up with. Nothing was in sight, so I went the dresser to look for a belt or something. That's actually exactly what I found. It was brown and leather. I brought it back to where Al lay in the tub. I didn't want to check if he was dead, but I still tied both of his hands to the faucet so he couldn't escape, even if he came back.

If he did, as a Turned, his brain would be affected, and he wouldn't be able to figure out how to get out. If he just woke up, he still wouldn't be able to free himself.

When I finished, I came back to the counter and grabbed the knife from the sink. I replaced it in my belt and left the bathroom. Zombie followed behind me, and I locked the door from the inside, and then closed the door.

I turned and leaned against the door, sliding down into a sitting position. I felt like crying, but knew that wouldn't get me anywhere. So I sucked it up and made my way to the other room at the end of the hallway. I switched the light off and closed the door. I walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where I took the chair away. I set it aside an entered the room. I opened the other door to the pantry and grabbed some things to make some food, a simple PB & J. I sat on the island counter, eating in small bites at a time. I thought about what would happen when, or if, Al came back Unturned.

I wanted to ask if he'd take me to Chicago, but after what he did, I wasn't sure I would be able to trust him. I needed someone else to get me there.

….

 **Four POV**

We were back on the road again in the RV. Zeke was driving now, and Lynn was sleeping in the back. Frankly, I wasn't sure where Eric was. I was pretty sure we hadn't left him at the farm, though. Pretty sure.

Uriah and I were at the table, where I was interrogating him. My mind had been full of that girl with the blonde hair and blue eyes since she had escaped. The truth was, and I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I wasn't quite sure if she had gotten away or if I let her go. I didn't want to think this was true because of what happened to Uri, but a small part of me knew it was. I convinced myself that that smaller part was a liar.

And even more than that, I had been looking forward to meeting her. When Zeke and Lynn had returned to the farmhouse, I hadn't been there. Eric and I had been in the actual house, clearing it out of any Hunters or other threats. They had left on one of the tractors from the farm, and came back with an unconscious girl between them. They had brought her up into the trailer and had lay her beside Uriah.

From there, Zeke had come to tell me, very reluctantly. He had made it seem like it was Lynn's fault by hurting her and taking her with them, but then his for shooting her boyfriend.

It was unreasonable, I knew, but the thought of her having a boyfriend in this world made me jealous. I wasn't sure if it was her specifically, or the simple fact that she had someone to love. I hadn't even had that _before_ the disease.

But when he told me that there was a girl in the trailer, I got all excited. I wasn't sure why, though. I had never even met the girl, and yet I wanted to know all there was to know about her.

So I was sitting on one of the cushioned benches, waiting for Uriah to take a seat across from me, but he was preoccupied with pouring himself a cup of juice. They were paper cups, and the juice was from squeezing an orange that wasn't even ripened. I wasn't sure what the appeal was. **(Get it? A-** _ **peel.**_ **Okay, back to the story.)** I was trying to ask him about the girl that got away. He was the only one to really speak to her. I knew that even though this was true, she had been threatening him. And, you know, kicking his ass.

But I didn't say that to his face.

"Really, Uri," I said. "Just take a seat." I saw him sigh from behind. His shoulders lifted and fell.

"Honestly," he sighed in a single breath. "I don't know what you want me to say. I didn't get a good look at her. You three did. I was sleeping next to her, resting from the injury." He turned around to face me, but remained at the counter, leaning back. "And I'm also not sure what you want from her. Revenge for hurting me? I'm fine, really. You should just let her go." He took a sip from his juice and cringed inwardly. He made a hissing sound.

"And let me tell you," he said and paused, looking over to where his brother faced the open road behind the wheel. "From what she did to me and what you told me about her boyfriend, if she gets her hands on Zeke, she'll kill him." I swallowed.

I couldn't really believe that. She had run when confronted; she hadn't fought. Although, I don't think she had been armed. Even then, she hadn't even tried hand-to-hand combat. And she was tiny and thin. Ultimately, she didn't pose a threat to me, and certainly not to Zeke. Frankly, I was sure he'd be offended by what his brother had implied. I waved this off.

"Look, it doesn't matter," I said to him. I didn't care about that. "I don't give a damn about her." Lie. "I just want to know why she felt so extremely set on getting out of here that she rendered you unconscious. _And_ where the hell the was so concerned about headed." That wasn't completely a lie. I _did_ want to know where she had gone, partly so I could find her.

"I don't know," he claimed, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not like she told me her entire battle plan like some evil villain in a cheesy Disney movie." He laughed at himself. I opened my mouth to ask him some more questions, but the door to the back of the RV opened, and Lynn walked out. Her bare stomach and white bra were exposed to us as she was trying to get her T-shirt back on. Eric came out behind her and I though the most obvious thing had been going on, but didn't remember any unusual sounds coming from back there. She walked between Uriah and I, finally pulling her shirt down and seeming to talk to Eric, who was till following her.

"Dude," she said. "I'm not interested. Seriously. You don't know how _un_ interested I am," she exaggerated the word _uninterested._ Oh. So he had been trying to make a move on her. It was understandable. I was sure he had had lots of sexual frustration pent up since the start of the disease, maybe even before then.

I felt the need to defend Lynn if I felt Eric was coming on to her too strong, but I knew she could handle herself. She'd tell Zeke or Uriah or me if she needed any help with anything else, but that wasn't going to happen in a while. She had too much pride to ask for help.

She adjusted her belt and stopped when she got to Zeke. She stretched out and announced, "I need to take a piss. Wanna park?" she asked. Zeke knew we were on a tight schedule, but if there was one thing he was more scared of than the Hunters, it was getting in the way of a woman and her womanly needs. He hesitated for a second but quickly pulled over and parked. I stood up and pushed Eric aside gently, but still commandingly, getting off the RV. I looked around where we were.

There were tall trees, with colors of red and orange. Some were brown or yellow. They had changed colors, but they hadn't fallen yet. From that, I gathered that it was somewhere around the beginning of October. The air was cool, too, but not yet cold. It would be tonight, though, and it was Lynn's turn with the bed. There were extra blankets inside, but it would still be cold. Unfortunately, it was my turn to drive. I hated driving through the night, but it was necessary to always keep moving.

We hadn't decided exactly where we were going, but it was in general agreement that we'd head to Chicago, thinking there might be someone or something there that could help us bounce back from this… setback.

I breathed in the cool air and regretted it. It really bit back. Lynn had disappeared into the trees to go and Eric was walking down the abandoned road, just stretching out his legs. Zeke was still inside, bending over a map of the state, checking if he had missed any turns. We had been taking back roads as to avoid getting help up by traffic or any hordes of the Hunters. I went to the edge of the tree line to answer nature's call, and this time _really_ felt the cold. I finished quickly and went back to where the RV was parked. I came back up to where Zeke had been, except now he was outside, too, talking with his brother. I pulled out a jar of peanut butter we had scavenged. I ate some straight out of the jar and sat on the steps of the entrance, wondering where the girl was and what she was doing right now.

 **JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. You do not know how great this chapter is to me. Or how glad I am that it's done. Wow. 5K words. Jesus Christ. That's impressive for me, and it seemed to go on forever. Tell me if it was too long and weird. I'd be glad to go back to making shorter ones.**

 **AND ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: A review had come to my attention that I NEED to address. A Guest had informed me that a quote from the summary for this story reminded her/him of a book called 'The 5** **th** **Wave' by Rick Yancey. Which I've read.**

 **And I knew the quote was familiar, but I couldn't remember what it was from, and now I know its from that book. I'd like to give credit to the book and its author. I need all of my chocolates to know that that is NOT my quote. It is his.**

 **The quote is, "How do you rid the Earth of humans? Rid the humans of their humanity."**

 **Everything else in the summary is mine, but Yancey deserves the credit for that one. Thank you.**

 **Read and Review!**

 **-Viv**


	9. Chapter 9

**Vacant – Chapter 9**

 **Will POV**

 _We stared at Caleb, lying in the backseat of the car. I couldn't believe it until Christina said my name to snap me out of it. I was in such a state of shock. She placed a hand on my shoulder, and I turned my head to look at her instead. "Is he dead?" I asked her. She shrugged her shoulders up and down._

" _You didn't check?" I asked incredulously. His time could be running out at this very moment. I boosted myself onto the side of the car, but didn't get in; there wasn't enough room for the two of us. It was dark, and the inside of the car was cooler than outside. I almost began to shiver. Behind me, Christina kept a look out for any other threats, the fall air blowing her hair across her face. The sky was becoming darker, and I wondered if it was about to rain._

 _I placed two fingers on Caleb's neck, searching for a pulse. I noticed his skin was cold and pale. Paler than even his sister's. It took a few seconds, but I eventually found a steady beat, although it was faint. I told this to Christina and she seemed a bit relieved. She pushed the hair out of her face and shivered in the air. The sun above us seemed to disappear completely as clouds moved to cover it. Another gust of cool air swept the almost lifeless road. I began to sit my cousin up. From behind him, I slapped his face lightly, just enough to get him to wake up. He moaned a bit and tried to life his arm, but he was weak from the lack of blood. "Caleb," I said hesitantly. His eyes opened, but they were fluttering like they'd close again. "Caleb," I said again. "Oh, thank the Lord. Where's Tris?" I asked him. If she were around here, too, I wasn't about to just leave her._

" _Wha-?" he started, but it was faint, and it was obvious he wasn't going to be able to string four words together. He shooed my hand away from his face. But some recognition shone on his face as the rest of my sentence registered and he heard his sister's name._

" _She-she's gone," he stuttered. "They-they hurt her." I wanted to freeze right there and ask him what the hell he meant, but it was pretty clear. And he was already going to pass out again. He did._

" _We've got to get him back to the camp. To Marlene," I suggested. Christina nodded. She holstered her pistol in her belt. And leaned into the car, too. She grabbed his legs and began to slide them out with her. She stepped back until he was almost completely out of the car. I jumped down beside her and righted myself. I threw him over my shoulders and addressed Christina._

" _You know where to go?" I asked her. I knew where to go and how to get back there, but if I was going to be carrying 180 pounds of meat on my back, I could have screwed up and gotten lost by a distraction. I hoped she was good at navigation, despite this being the first time heading back to the cave. She hesitated and seemed unsure of herself, but I think she realized the impending danger of a storm, so she nodded and began walking. She looked at the two of us over her shoulder every few minutes until we entered the trees, and she had to keep an eye on the ground to keep from tripping over any brush._

…

By the time we had made it to the camp, it had begun to pour. I had some cover provided so generously by Caleb's limp body, but that left Chris victim to the rain. I felt bad when we finally made it into the cave, but she was assuring me it was completely fine. Still, when we came to the opening of the cavern, and the others had spotted us, I asked Shauna to get her a blanket. They both stayed at the entrance, where everything was still packed up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lauren and Molly still sitting around the area where the food area had been before they had torn it down. They seemed unimpressed by the sight of the guy who had saved both of their asses on multiple occasions lying unconscious on my shoulders. Bitches.

Marlene had rushed over faster than any of the others, and she was trying to get me to give Caleb to her. She stopped when she realized the ridiculousness of her request. She dropped her hands to her sides and wiped her palms on her thighs. "Okay," she said. "Is he dead?" she asked me, starting with the most obvious question first. I gave her a look.

"Right, right," she said. "Stupid me. Of course he's not dead. Okay, well. You can just set him right here and try to wake him. It's fine if you can't. I'll just go get my medical bag real quick." She rushed back off to the entrance quickly. I dropped Caleb onto the dirt cavern as gently as I could and sat next to him. I shook his shoulder and said a couple of things to him, but he didn't budge. I checked his pulse again. Still there. I wondered if Marlene would be able to help him. If she could calm down a bit. I think everyone could tell she had a minor crush on him. If might have just been a small fascination with him, but if it affected her work on him, I'd have to ask her to tell me how to do it instead. I guess that was why she was getting so hyped up about it.

She returned shortly and began her work on him. I helped to slide off his shirt and toss it aside. There was a bullet wound on his side, a bit lower than his waist. There was blood. Lots of it. I got a bit queasy. It wasn't the sight of blood; I had seen plenty of that in these last few months. It was just the sight of my cousin's blood, and probably the amount of it, too. It made me think of what would happen if we lost him, it he Turned.

And the wound also made me think of what caused it. I was relieved it wasn't a Bite, but it was worse that it was from a bullet. That meant there was someone out there on the road that had shot him. And Tris was missing; either the same people had killed her or taken her. I didn't know which one was worse. I didn't want to think about it. I got up and made sure Marlene could handle it. She nodded, but didn't look at me. She was too into saving Caleb. I left her to work.

Shauna was still standing by the entrance, with Christina. They were talking in quiet voices. I walked toward the two of them, glancing back at where Lauren and Molly were still seated, shooting Mar nasty looks. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"So, he was shot," said when I got the other girls. I wanted to get straight to the point. Shauna gasped quietly, as she seemed to understand what this meant.

"You mean…" Christina trailed off next to her. I nodded.

"There were others there," I continued. "They shot Caleb, which rendered him unconscious. I can't think of a reason Caleb and Tris would have shot first. They must have posed a threat, or maybe the third party was just trigger-happy."

"Chris tells me Tris is missing," Shauna said. I looked to her, and she shrugged.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "That's what Caleb said, but he's kind of out of it at the moment. We'll get the full story when he's back to normal."

"But-" Shauna tried to argue.

I shook my head to cut her off. "I know exactly what you're going to say. And we _can_ just sit here. In fact, that's exactly what we're going to do. It's pouring outside. And it's too dark to see anything anyway. We'll find her, I promise. We just need to know what she and Caleb saw before we start looking in the wrong places. And if it does turn out that we can't find her, we'll still need to keep moving. We need to get to the city."

Even as I said it, I knew I was trying to convince myself of it, too.

…

 **Tris POV**

I was sitting against the bathroom cabinet on the floor. Zombie was next to me. We had been like this for the past four minutes perhaps, when Al had started making noise. I held my pistol in my hand, but it was limp at my side, anyway. To be completely honest, I hadn't been expecting any movement from him for the next few hours, but right when I was finishing up making another sandwich for myself downstairs in the kitchen, I had heard his scratching up here. At first, I thought I had imagined it. This room was right above the kitchen, and I was certain I was being paranoid, but then a few white flakes had fluttered down from the ceiling, which had fully convinced me. I had quickly made a second sandwich and poured some Fruit Loops next to it on a plate.

I stacked the sandwiches on the plate and cleaned everything up. At that point, I was surely convinced he had woken up, so I grabbed the food, locked up both of the doors, and made my way up the stairs. I had set the food next to me and then proceeded to pick the lock, since it was locked form the inside. Once I had finished that, I pulled out my pistol and cocked it. I held it up and gently kicked the door open with my foot. I peeked my head around the corner of the door to find Al lying in the tub still, his hands tied to the faucet. He wasn't quite awake, but he was coming to.

I moved in and sat against the wooden cupboards below the sinks. I began to count the time as it passed. A minute passed, then two. He was still working on waking up, but I was growing impatient. I needed to know if he was going to attack or not. I stood up again and faced the sinks, setting the plate of food on the counter, away from the edge. I grabbed the toothbrush holder from the counter and tipped it upside down, so that the stale brushes fell out and into the sink. They clattered quietly. I filled the cup with the only water that would come out of the faucet: cold. I wasn't really set on filling it up to the rim, but rather just enough to dump on Al.

When it was about half full, I turned the faucet off and turned back around to where Al was still lying. He was squirming now, but still not conscious. I walked towards him and held the cup over his head. I dumped it quickly and backed up even quicker. I didn't want to get hit by his blind wrath.

I was right to do that.

His head swung up, not really to fight anything off, but rather out of reflex. He would have fallen forward if not for his bound hands. I felt only a bit sorry for him when he was yanked back by his hands as the belt pressed into his skin. The feeling only lasted a second when I remembered what he had done to me.

He settled after a few seconds and sat back against the cold wall. I knew he was uncomfortable for him, but I resisted getting him a pillow or something. I mean, come on; I made him a sandwich.

I looked down at his soaked shirt and figured he must have been pretty cold, too. His face was drenched and water dripped from his chin, which had a bit of stubble that I had just noticed. It must have appeared last night. That, along with the blood from last night's incident made him look rough. I looked back to his face to see that he was staring at me. I swallowed, but my mouth was already dry. I remained looking at him until he decided that was enough. I looked away first.

I turned back around and grabbed the plate from the counter, still looking at him through the mirror to make sure he didn't try anything. I turned back to him and moved towards the tub where he sat. I knelt down and set the plate on the edge of the tub. I leaned forward to untie one of his hands, and he flinched. I stopped, and he looked away. I raised an eyebrow as his face turned red. I continued with the belt. I undid it quickly and told him to put one hand in his lap or I'd set Zombie on him, who sat still a few feet away. She perked to attention when she heard her name. He did as he was told with his right hand.

I tied his left hand back again to the faucet. I backed up and rested by hands in my own lap. He looked at me expectantly. "What?" I asked him. He looked to the food. "There's no way in hell I'm feeding you anything. I slaved for three minutes over the counter to make you something to eat; grab the fucking sandwich." I finished with a little nervous laugh, letting loose a bit. I couldn't remain hostile for the rest of his company. He had to get me to the city, where he was from. I knew he was my only chance of getting there. So I was relieved when laughed a bit, too and grabbed the slices of bread and took a bite hesitantly. I rolled my eyes. I fell from my knees to my butt and slid back against the counter. I then stood up and sat _on_ the counter.

"So," I started and pursed my lips. I cleared my throat, trying to think of a way to bring up the subject of getting to Chicago. "Al."

He paused and looked at me. I opened my mouth and blurted, "I want to go to the city." Idiot.

He scoffed and went back to eating. "Yeah," he said. "No, you don't."

I scrunched my eyebrows and squinted my eyes. That was a peculiar answer and one I totally wasn't expecting. "Yes," I argued. "Yes, I do. I have people that I separated from, and I need to get to them. They need me."

"No offense," he said, pausing for my name. I couldn't remember if I had told him what it was yet, or if he had just forgotten it.

"Tris," I filled in.

"Tris," he repeated. "Right. Well, Tris," he continued. "The city's a mess. Everyone was trying to get out, and very few succeeded. I made it out with my si-" he paused and hesitated. "Another girl. She died after the third day. And it took me another two weeks to make it here. Only to find out my brother was dead." He looked at me pointedly, and I looked back in the same manner.

"I didn't kill them if that's what you're trying to say," I defended myself. "He killed-" I stopped myself my continuing. He didn't need to hear that right now. "They were already dead when I got here. Which was only the day before you showed up. And tried to kill me." I was turning the guilt on him, now. Maybe not the best idea, and he saw it, too.

"So wait," he said. "Why the hell would you trust me to take you to the city?" he asked.

A sandwich was sounding really good right now, but I looked down to see that they were both gone. Oh well. "You only tried to kill me 'cause I knocked you out; what you did was in self-defense. You wouldn't kill me out of cold blood," I said. "I don't think that's in anyone's nature. Not anymore. These days, we only kill to survive. I think most everyone had a sense of what the world has become and now, we know all life is precious." He raised his brows, and I prayed in that moment that I was right. I quickly backtracked. "Don't think I'm defending you, though," I said. "I'm most certainly not. I'm just stating why you did what you did." I paused as he filled his palm with the cereal and threw it back into his mouth like they were pills.

I rolled my eyes, but he remained looking at me.

"Where's my brother?" he asked. "I'd like to see him, if he's not…like the others. Only if he's really dead." I knew it. Well, I had suspected it anyway. They were brothers. And I guess Al had never met his sister-in-law. I looked up at him again and hopped off of the counter. I reached back and scratched the back of my neck.

"I was actually planning on burying them," I told him, hesitantly. I wasn't sure if he'd like that. "He and his wife."

He tried to pull away from the faucet. "No," he pleaded. "Don't. At least, not yet. I'd like to help." I looked away, but nodded still. I took the plate from his lap and tied both of his hands to the faucet and left. Zombie followed me. I locked the door from the outside again. I went back downstairs, getting myself ready for what I had to get done. I set the plate by the sink and rubbed my hands together. I closed my eyes one last time before moving the chair away from the pantry. I opened the door and looked at Al's brother hanging from the rafter about nine feet above me. This was going to take a while.

…

It had taken me about twenty minutes to get to where I was now, which was on a chair, standing behind where the man hung. I had been struggling with the knot, which he must have tied for himself. And I swear, he must have been a fisherman, because this wasn't a knot that any normal person would know.

I had tried to untie it for about ten minutes, and it seemed to get tighter with each minute. I was terrified the rope would get so tight that it would decapitate him at this point in his decomposition. I stopped when the rope began to fray at the knot, and my hands began to turn red. Instead, I hopped down to the ground and hauled in another chair. I slid it under where the man hung, and I started adding things from around the kitchen, like the carton of flour, and the bags of rice. I did this until he was sitting on the pile on the chair, and his legs were dangling in front. This way, I could cut him loose, and when he fell, his upper body would fall back towards me, but he wouldn't fall off or anything. I left and came back with one of the knives from the knife drawer. It wasn't the biggest one, but it was serrated, so it was the best for the job.

I began working at the rope and cut until it was hanging only barely by a few thin stands, at that point, I just pushed on, without really thinking because I was so ecstatic since this was working.

So when the rope snapped and the body fell, I wasn't paying attention. The body fell forward, unexpectedly. And the knife fell from my grip and landed on the body. No, _in_ the body. More specifically, in the chest of the body. Thankfully, nothing else fell from the chairs. I sighed. It had been going so well. I hopped from the chair and landed a bit off balance. I heard Al moving around in the tub above the kitchen and shouted, "Don't you fucking dare, Al!" The moving stopped. He must have heard when the body fell, but there was no way he knew what it was.

I walked to it and bent down. I tore the knife from his chest and looked at it. Of course, there was no blood, but rather just some weird flaky substance. I walked back to the kitchen and wiped it on one of the towels. I set it away from the food so I wouldn't make the mistake of _using_ it.

I walked back to where the body lay and sighed. I had to do this. It was the respectable thing to do. I got behind him and grabbed his underarms like I had with the maid. I began dragging the body from the pantry to the front door, where Zombie was waiting for me. I had forgotten that she had to go outside every few hours. I was just scared she'd be loud and bark. I opened the door and let her go. She ran straight out of the door and down the porch steps. She didn't bark, thankfully. I dragged the man from the porch to the ground level, which was frozen and covered in leaves. I was concerned about how I was going to go about burying the man and his wife. And maybe I'd bury the maid, too, in a different grave, of course.

I laid him down a few yards away from the house and retrieved the woman who was even further away. She was significantly lighter, and therefore easier to drag to the man. I left them sitting there for a few minutes while I went back to the house. Zombie remained outside, wandering around. I grabbed a few sheets from a linen closet in the house; it was upstairs in the last room, where I had almost kept Al. When I was walking back to the stairs, I stopped by the door of the master bedroom. I opened the door and walked to the bathroom door, dropping the linens on the bed and grabbing the knife from the dresser.

I knelt back down and picked the lock again. I opened the door and stepped inside. Al sat in the tub, staring at me. I stared back. "Let's do this," I said simply. I didn't feel like talking, and I'm sure this would be difficult for him. I walked to the belt and undid the knot of the belt and walked back to the door. I knew he understood what we were doing now, so he stood quietly and stared still, not speaking. He wiped his hands on his jeans, which were mostly dry, like his shirt. "If you want to grab something of his or hers to bury them with," I offered. "I'm just going to wrap them first. She doesn't look too good." He nodded, and I turned to leave.

I exited the bathroom and grabbed the linens again. I went to her nightstand, which I had left alone until this moment. I grabbed a red lipstick and some foundation. Al stayed behind for a few minutes while I returned to the outdoors, where the two bodies lay. I swallowed again and knelt to the couple sadly. I needed to know how this man had kept from Turning, but now wasn't the time for that. I'd ask Al some other time.

I whipped the first sheet out and rolled the woman on first. Before I did anything else, I got close to her face. I was sorry that Zombie had killed her, but it was a better end than remaining Turned. I hoped she would have understood that. I pulled out the lipstick and applied a bit to her pale lips and some foundation to her skin to make her seem a bit for human. I made sure her eyes were closed as I wrapped the sheet tightly around her body, paying close attention to cover where Zombie had torn at her stomach. I patted her hair down and brought it to the sides of her face.

I stood again and did the same to the man, without the lipstick, of course. I brought them together and looked back to the porch. I noticed Al standing there, staring at the scene. I wondered how long he hand been observing me. I cleared my throat and waved him over. Maybe he had just been waiting for me to finish covering his brother. He picked the maid up from the wicker bench, where I had placed her yesterday, making her look like she weighed nothing. I totally forgot to get a third sheet for her. He climbed down the steps carefully, making sure he didn't drop her.

When he got to where I stood with my hands on my hips, he dropped the maid to the ground gently. I wiped my brow and started moving the leaves around on the ground to clear the area where the dead would be buried. Al left to get another sheet, but told me where I could find a few shovels.

"Just go around this corner of the property," he said, pointing to the left of the house. "There's a small shack-closet thing with a few some gardening supplies. "Diane liked to do yard work." I nodded as he left. I also went to grab the shovels, and found the shack right where he said it would be. I opened the door and grabbed two. When I left and closed the door, I noticed a storm cellar entrance a few feet away. There was a huge padlock on it. It had a heavy chain attached to it. I raised my eyebrows, but then remembered the generator the house had to have. I must be in there. I nodded and returned to the bodies. Al was kneeling on the ground by his brother and had a hand on his chest. His shoulders were heaving gently, and I didn't want to interrupt, but what else could I do. I continued towards them, but cleared my throat subtly to make my presence known. He sniffed again to pull himself together, and he stood. I handed him a shovel without a word. I told him the dimensions of the two graves. We were going to bury the couple together and the maid apart. They were never really close.

I began on the couple's grave so he wouldn't have to dig his brother's grave. So we dug.

…

It took about six hours, without any breaks since the ground was frozen. When we were finished, Al lowered the three bodies into the graves and heaved himself back out. I helped him, but he quickly dropped my hand. I wiped mine on my jeans to get rid of the dirt.

Al said a quick prayer and I stood behind him quietly. He dropped a piece of jewelry onto Diane and an old-looking watch onto his brother. It meant something, probably, because of the look on Al's face. It was probably a family heirloom. We covered them first, then moved onto the maid. That took all of about ten minutes.

When we finally finished, it was late. And dark. We moved quickly, bringing the shovels inside the house, rather than returning them. Zombie was worn out, and she practically passed out the moment we got into the house, dropping by the front door. I, on the other hand, continued upstairs to the master bedroom. Al continued to the second door, which I hadn't been in yet, but I assumed he knew where he was going. Or maybe he didn't, but was just trying to be alone. I called Zombie from upstairs, thinking we'd both be safer if she was with me. It took her a minute to get her up there, but she came. I closed the door behind her and locked it. I had said I trusted Al not to hurt me, and I wanted to mean it, but it was hard. There was always a chance that he could snap from emotion, or maybe he hated me for being here, or for hurting him, or for the deaths of his family.

I slipped off my – Diane's – clothes. They fell to a puddle on the floor, and I climbed into bed. Zombie hopped up, too. She lay a few feet away from me. I fell asleep like that, with Zombie sleeping next to me, protecting me.

I thought back to before anything had gone so badly. Not the disease, really, but rather when Caleb was shot and those awful people took me.

I'm sure they weren't awful people; in fact, the guy who had suffered my beating had seemed cool. He seemed chill before he knew I was a threat. But that girl and the other guy didn't need to shoot anyone, or kidnap anyone. That was unnecessary.

Then I thought about the fourth man.

I had though he had been sadistic when he called me the "new visitor." Like I was pleasant and nothing was wrong and he was glad to see someone new. But now that I thought about it, I began to think what he said was genuine. What if he had really meant it? What if he had been genuinely pleased to see a new face?

 _What if he was single?_

 _Oh, Jesus Christ, Tris_. Really? I made a face of revulsion. Not because I was disgusted with the idea, but rather with myself. I had been alone for far too long. I was getting desperate, having fantasies about some guy whom I hadn't even met. Yet, we had tried to kill each other. That was a form of bonding, right?

From what I remembered, I thought he was pretty cute. But it was dark, and I had been unconscious for a few hours prior. This was stupid. This wasn't a movie; no one found love in real life. And surely not in this life. Not likely.

 **BRUH. This was a good chapter, I think. Nothing really happened, but it was 5K words, do I deserve some kind of applause. Except it was late, so maybe I don't. Oh well. So excited for the next chapter, but before** _ **you**_ **chocolates get excited, too: no, Four and Tris don't meet. Sorry. But someone else does. !**

 **Anyway, lots of love! Read and Review!**

 **Xoxo – Viv**

 **And in the case that I don't update before the 31** **st** **: HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO THE AMERICANS! Everyone doesn't give a fuck, do they? Oh well.**

 **And to my Mexican readers, Feliz día de los muertos! (I swear to God, I just offended someone, so sorry! I'm really trying; don't fight me.)** **I don't even know if I have Mexican readers. Was this worth it? The answer is yes. Yes, it was.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Vacant – Chapter 10**

I woke early in the morning, before the sun had even risen. Zombie lay still at the end of the bed as I pulled the fluffy duvet down around her, careful not to wake her. She'd need her rest. I had decided today was the day we'd start towards the city. Al would have to take me, even if he didn't completely want to. And I'm sure he was dying to get out of this house, especially with his dead brother in the ground only yards away from the house.

And as for myself, I had overstayed my welcome in this house. It wasn't mine, although it certainly wasn't anyone else's. Still, I felt the unmistakable guilt of staying here when I knew for a fact that somewhere out there, there was my family and others who needed me with them. Not for my sake, but for theirs. I wanted to think that they had started back already towards the city, and I had this fantasy that we'd meet there in the city, and there would be this happy ending like in the movies. Well, it was fun to dream anyway.

The cold air hit my bare skin, and I considered getting back in bed and forgetting this ever happened. Maybe I'd stay a few more days, get to know Al for real. God knows I needed to trust him if we were going to be traveling together. If I were in a dangerous situation, I would need to know he wouldn't try to just leave me. Or that he wouldn't be the one _putting_ me in said dangerous situation.

But no. I was committed to this. I steeled myself and pushed through the cold. I left the warm embrace of the bed, and I heard Zombie ruffle the sheets lightly. I turned to the direction of the bathroom in the dark and moved towards it, grabbing the pistol from the nightstand on my way. I closed the door behind me and flipped the switch, turning the light on. Well, a couple of them anyway. There were six light bulbs along the top of the mirror in front of the sinks. Four of them were burned out.

I went to turn the faucet on, but decided against that. I wasn't really up for the even colder water that I knew would come out. Instead, I grabbed a washrag from below the counter and folded it over a few times, then getting it damp. I hesitated before applying it to the exposed skin of my body, including my face and arms. It was warmer than if I had applied it directly to my skin, but it still gave me chills. I did the same thing to my feet and legs with a new coat of water. Now for my hair; I sighed.

….

After about an hour, I had dressed with entirely new clothes, a tanktop from the dresser and a pair of dark jeans. I sat on the bed and pulled on a pair of white socks. My hair was damp since I had dried it with a fresher towel. I looked out of the window in the master bedroom and saw that there still wasn't a light coming from any direction, and I wondered just how early I had woken up. There wasn't any way to tell, unfortunately. Zombie had been stirring for a few minutes now, but still hadn't managed to pull herself out of the bed.

I had been going through the drawers of the couple's dressers and her vanity, not looking for anything in particular, but rather just for anything interesting. There was a bit of me that felt the guilt, but I knew they were dead and hoped to God they wouldn't mind. Oh hell, of course they did.

I had found a few nice clothes of Diane's, but not much was practical; it was all for show, to make her feel beautiful. I remembered Christina and her closet, how she didn't even have sneakers. I smiled a bit. This would be her paradise.

I sat at the vanity and stared in the mirror, like I had at Christina's house. I liked how I looked; I hadn't before the disease, but with all of the competition gone, who even was there to be compared to? Christina, I guess, but I could survive on my own, and I wasn't too sure about her.

I looked down and opened the left drawer on the vanity and moved some things around. There were a few elastics for her hair, but it was mostly makeup for Diane; all of the tones matched her skin tone, which was a bit darker than mine, but I still took them out of the drawer and set it on top of the desk part. Then I looked at the rest; lipsticks and mascaras. It had been a while since any of them had been used, so I assumed they would be all dried and gross, but I opened them anyway and checked them out.

Some of them were worth saving, so I set those on top with the foundations. I took a few brushed, not quite sure what they were for, but just because they looked important. Then I looked in the drawer on the right and found something was probably wasn't meant for my eyes, but I picked it up anyway. It was quite obvious what it was with the blank cover and pen sitting on top of it. I opened it after a moment of pausing to evaluate how much she'd care. Oops. Too late.

I read the first page slowly at first to make sure I read it properly. It was dated at the week before the spread of the disease. The entry wrote about how her boyfriend had been arguing with his brother for the past few days prior about what they should do and how they would proceed. Then it continued to when the boyfriend, commonly referred to as, _Harry_ , had proposed to her on the third of March. She knew why he had done it so suddenly, but she still said yes, and two days later, Harry had taken her to his estate south of the city, where they had stayed.

There were very few entries after they arrived here, and the mostly described what it was like as the world fell from there, but described from their perspective, isolated from the rest of the population. From the journal, it was obvious the two of them, well at least Diane, knew very little about what was going on around them. Until Diane died, she didn't even seem to know what the threat even was.

I closed it finally and looked out the window again. There was a faint light coming from behind the trees, so I stood and closed the journal, setting the pen on top of it. I grabbed a small traveling makeup bag from the bathroom and returned to throw everything in it. It was official; I was now a thief, along with murderer, trespasser, and escapee, all of which would have gotten me arrested prior to the disease. It seemed like the list was getting longer with every day.

I threw the makeup bag onto the bed, causing Zombie to finally get up. She lifted her head first, but then stretched her paws out like a wolf. Then she yawned, and I continued with what I was doing, which was heading to the dresser to pack some of Diane's clothes for the trip. I figured if she was my size and had a few stylish things, why the hell not?

So I pulled out a few blouses and two flannels and folded them lightly; they'd be for more formal occasions in the future, if there ever were any. Then I took a few jeans out; a white pair, a gray pair, a black pair, and two blue pairs. I folded those together tightly and set them aside with the blouses and flannels. When the majority of those were finished with, I grabbed the roll of duct tape I had obtained from the kitchen and ripped a piece off with my teeth. I did this a few times and wrapped everything together into a little bundle which I hoped wouldn't be a burden. At this point, I was almost ready to leave, so I decided to wake Al and tell him now.

I moved from the left side of the bed to the right and pulled everything that I was taking with me together. I took the pillow from this side of the bed and shook the pillow out of the case. I then stuffed the bundle of clothes and bag of makeup into the bag. I threw my hair up with one of the elastics from the vanity and adjusted the flannel on my shoulders; it was the same from the day before. Since I had taken it off for digging the graves, it wasn't dirty enough to discard yet.

Then I left.

Zombie followed me since I didn't close the door, so the patter of my feet and the click of her nails on the hardwood floor was all there was to be heard. I knocked on the door Al had gone in the night before and listened. There wasn't an answer, so I knocked again. This time, the door creaked open a bit, so I figured he had left the room, probably getting something to eat. I wasn't surprised; I doubted he had slept at all last night. The thought wasn't reassuring if that meant he wouldn't be able to take me to the city.

I pushed the door open all the way now and entered. The lights were off completely, and I wondered if he was up. At first, I was surprised at the room; it was almost nicer than the master bedroom in which I had been staying. On the other side of the room, there were two double doors covered by window panels. The white curtains blew inward because they were open. I noticed now that it was lighter outside in this room than it had been in my room. This side of the house must have been facing the sun or something.

The room didn't seem to be designated to anyone in particular, like a child or a guest bedroom. It had a simple black, wooden bed in the middle of the room, which had white curtains hanging from the frame, and the sheets were also black, but it was a softer-looking black than the wood. Thankfully, they looked like they had been slept in; the sheets were ruffled. And one of the black pillows was on the ground.

I continued into the room and looked down at my feet in unpleasant surprise. The floor wasn't wood like the halls and master bedroom, but instead, there was tile of all things, which I hadn't been prepared for. The thin socks on my feet didn't do much for warmth, and the tile was felt frozen. So I walked a bit faster to the bed, where I crawled to the center. I rubbed my feet for a few seconds before looking at the other side of the room, where the double doors were. The wind picked up and the curtains blew in a bit harder. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders and wondered if today would be a good day to leave.

I stepped back onto the floor and began moving to the doors. I figured they'd lead to a balcony. I set a hand on one of the doors and moved it a bit more open. Al was standing a few feet away on the balcony, leaning on the stone railing. I said his name, and he jumped a bit, startled. He turned to me and stuttered. I noticed a puff of smoke floating away from his mouth, and looked down to his hand. A burning cigarette dangled between his fingers. I raised an eyebrow as he coughed. He tried to explain himself. "I-I- uh. It's just something I do every once in a while." he said. I laughed a bit and let my head drop. I walked towards the railing, too, and leaned on it. I nodded lightly. "Sure," I said. "You tried quitting?" I asked, looking out at the trees. The leaves were almost all gone.

"Well," he claimed. "Old habits, right?" I scoffed, but nodded still.

"Sure," I agreed anyway. He put it back to his lips and breathed it in. We were quiet for a while, but then I had a thought. "But don't you think it'd be ironic for that to be your cause of death these days?" I turned my head to look at him.

"Ahh, well," he said. "Y'know. I think it'd be better this way than death by Eater." I nodded again, but stopped quickly. I had never heard them called that before.

"Have you ever killed one, Al?" I asked, genuinely wondering. I couldn't remember if he had mentioned it before. But he had made it miles from the city to here, and I couldn't believe he hadn't killed a single one, especially if he had run into Runners. In all honesty, he wouldn't be able to outrun one for even ten seconds. He might be able to overpower one.

He was quiet, but nodded. "Yeah, a few," he confirmed. "But only when I had to," he said, for some reason feeling the need to defend his actions. "I had other people. They did most of the killing until I was alone. And even then, it was only a few…" He trailed off, not feeling like finishing the sentence.

"No, that's fine," I said. "I just wanted to know if you were comfortable with a weapon." I waited to see if he would understand, but he just nodded his head to the side a few times to show his comprehension. He looked down at the railing and stubbed the cigarette out. He twisted it around, then flicked it off the balcony, letting it land in the leaves on the ground below us.

"Al," I said, getting him to look at me. "Al, we're leaving today." His head whipped to my direction.

"Oh, Tris," he said, standing up straight from the railing. "I don't know-"

"I'm leaving with or without you," I said, cutting him off. It was true; I wasn't bluffing. I would indeed leave without him, but I'd hate it. I didn't know if I'd survive. But I was determined, especially if my family would be there waiting.

I stood staring at him, waiting for him to respond, barely blinking. He finally sighed and shook his head. "I can't, Tris," he said. I nodded, although I was disappointed. It was fine; I liked to think I'd be able to handle myself. I had done it this far.

"But I can give you some direction and some aid. Like food and things," he offered. I nodded.

"Thanks," I said. "I appreciate it."

….

I had since packed a cooler of sandwiches and drinks. Trail mixes and stale chips were in a separate bag to stay dry, along with some other cans of longer-lasting foods. There was a camera, too sitting somewhere within the pile of supplies. I wasn't sure why I had taken it, but those were hard to come by nowadays, and I couldn't help myself. I had taken a too-big camouflage hunting jacket from Al's brother's closet. Al said I could keep it, and that it might help me. And it would keep me warm, too. I left it unzipped for better access to my knife and pistol in my belt. Al was on the porch with me, after driving a four-wheeler from the garage out to the front of the mansion. Apparently, Diane had been a fan of outdoor motor sports, too. His arms were crossed, and his eyes were squinted. I had packed a few other essentials the last hour, but finally decided it was time to leave; I didn't want to waste any more daylight because of the threat of Creepers. I had about forty pounds of equipment strapped to the four-wheeler. I was standing next to it awkwardly before deciding Al needed a better goodbye. Especially if he was going to be alone for a while. I quickly jogged up the steps and stood in front of him. I laughed a bit as I moved into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him, and he stuttered to embrace me, too. He was a good hugger, like a bug teddy bear. We held that position for a few seconds before it became too awkward. He laughed as we parted and scratched the back of his neck.

"Hey, look," he said. "Maybe you don't actually have to go," he suggested. I looked up at him and squinted my eyes a bit. I thought about arguing about how I should leave now before it becomes winter, but stopped when I realized what he meant, which was to say that I shouldn't leave _at all._

I opened my mouth, but he was already defending his point. "No, really," he insisted. "I mean, it wouldn't even be that outrageous of an idea. We don't have anyone else, and starting a life must be appealing to you." I was taken aback by this, a bit offended for multiple reasons.

"What?" I asked incredulously. "Why? Why would you think I'd want a family?" I asked further. "Is it because I'm a woman? You think I'm a woman, so I must want a family. Of course that's my only concern in the world." I wanted to continue my rant, but I knew that wasn't what he meant. I started over by apologizing. "I-I'm sorry. No, I know you didn't mean that," I admitted. "It's just… I have other things I have to worry about these days. Like survival," I gave an example and laughed to lift a bit of the heat. "And I just can't bring something into this world. That'd be selfish."

"Well," he said, not giving up. "I mean, maybe it wouldn't be kids for you. Maybe it'd just be us. I could protect you. We could live out the rest of our lives here and –"

"I have a boyfriend," I blurted. I wasn't really sure where it came from, but I couldn't backtrack now. I couldn't explain to him how I wasn't interested. Well, I could have, but not anymore.

"He's with my family," I lied instead. "We've been together for a while now, since like the start of all of this. I hadn't known him before, but we're pretty serious now. And he's probably worried sick," I finished lamely and shrugged.

He nodded and looked down. "Right," he said. "Of course you already have someone, being as beautiful as you are." I flinched. It felt like he was trying to guilt-trip me, but I wasn't sure he'd do that.

"Anyway," I began, but wasn't quite sure how to finish. I looked down, too, but held my hand out now. I was wishing we had just left it at the hug. We looked up at the same time, and he took my hand. We shook, and I nodded one last time.

"Well, see ya," I said. I didn't actually believe I'd ever see him again, but it was better than saying goodbye.

I hopped down the porch stairs again and walked to the four-wheeler. I swung my leg around it and got comfortable. I whistled for Zombie, who had been in the surrounding trees for the last ten minutes. I called for her and waited. I heard her feet on the crunching leaves to my left. She ran to me and I called for her to jump up behind me. She laid down on the packs of our things. I pulled out the torn map which Al had given me, a sharpie tracing my route to the destination, a messy circle surrounding the city. I turned back one more time and waved back at Al. He waved back. Then I took off, turning around to the left, where Al had said there was a trail clear of trees, which would lead back to the main road.

After a few seconds of searching, I found it. I turned into it and began headed away from the mansion, and from the temporary safety it provided. And maybe even a life it might have held for me.

…

The scenery was one I doubted I'd ever forget. The leaves were all reds and oranges and yellows. There were barely any browns, and when there were, they were softer and light. Most of the trees were bare like near the house, but a few of the leaves were still in the process of detaching themselves and falling. Even now, as I was driving through the sweet leaves, I turned behind me and saw them swirling up from the ground, mixing from the spinning tires. Some even went ten feet in the air, and they took they're time falling and settling again. I got an idea.

I sped up a bit and blasting the gas. After another thirty feet, I stopped quickly and hopped off. Zombie did the same, but I told her to stay by the four-wheeler. I dug through my supplies on the vehicle and found the camera. I turned it on and held it up quickly, holding it still to focus the image. I paused and held my breath.

I clicked the capture button and held it for a few seconds to get the perfect shot. Then I turned to get in the shot, putting on a smile, hoping it looked genuine. At this moment, there wasn't an immediate reason it shouldn't have been. There was no threat, except the one that had always been looming, but I had gotten used to that.

I clicked the button a few more times to get a few nice pictures. I dropped the smile and my hand and walked back to the four-wheeler. The leaves had settled and I sat at the seat, looking at the photos. I found each of my favorites and deleted the extras, fearing the lack of storage, but then I started scrolling through the other photos on the camera, only to find out there weren't any. Either the camera had been new, or the couple had deleted all of their previous memories. I hoped it was the former.

I turned the camera off after admiring the photos once more. I set it away, deep in everything else, so it wouldn't fall out and break.

I had left the keys sitting in the ignition, so I twisted them again now and started the motor. Zombie hopped back on and we drove off once again.

I began thinking about when I was telling Al about my _boyfriend._ I thought back to exactly what I was saying. _He's probably worried sick._

I wished there was actually someone like that. Someone who was actually worried sick about me. Not in the way Caleb or Will might be, although I did appreciate them. I wanted someone who would love me and hold me, but as I had already told Al, there wasn't a time for that anymore. And I wasn't sure there ever would be.

There weren't many thoughts that messed me up more than that one did.

 **Here's another chapter, everyone. Hope you all like it. There isn't much I'd like to say here, but stuff is gonna go down next chapter. Luv ya!**

 **xoxox**

 **\- Viv**


	11. Chapter 11

**Vacant – Chapter 11**

The four-wheeler bounced over the small hills of the forest, despite the lack of any brush or branches on the clear path. Frankly, I was surprised it had kept this clean if no one had kept it in use for months. Al had said that it was a straight shot from the house to the edge of the woods. Apparently, it would open up to the highway after about two miles. At the entrance, there would be a loose chain from hanging between two stakes in the ground. He said the trees would be thick around the entrance, and there was a four-foot deep trench around it. I understood what this meant before he had to tell me. I would have to leave the four-wheeler behind.

The chain wasn't loose enough to life it, and I wasn't going to be able to break it off. Simply unlocking it was out of the question, too, because Al's damn brother had thrown away the key when he and Diane had come here for good. The trench and bushes prevented me from driving around, and there was no way I could life the damn thing, even without the weight of my supplies.

Just as I had these thoughts, I pulled up to the barrier. I slowed to a stop, and considered leaving the keys in the ignition, but I know it'll take more fuel to start it back up. So I hopped off and scouted the place out. It was true; the trench was too deep, and the brush was too thick, even without any leaves to obstruct my vision. I walked to the loose chain hanging between the two white posts. The chain itself was rusted to an unattractive orange. I held it in my fingers and rubbed some of it off. I made a face and bent to wipe it off on the ground. When I stood again, I lifted my leg over the chain and stepped to the other side. The road was surprisingly open and clear. It was that much more appealing. The air was cold, though, I noticed as I was in the open. There were two lanes on each side of the grassy medium, but the grass itself was a wilted brown due to the lack of any rain. The thought reminded me of the time of year. It was somewhere in November now, probably, although I might have been wrong. I loose track every time I stop thinking about it.

I pulled the camo jacket over my body tighter and finally zipped it, deciding I wouldn't need my weapons soon. I took a breath and reevaluated my situation. I walked back to the posts in the ground and kicked at one of them in frustration. Jesus Christ, there was no way I'd be able to make it out of here for two miles before needing a break from the cold, or to eat. And I wouldn't be able to last one night out here. This was a mistake. I couldn't do this by myself. I sighed and looked down to the ground. I dropped down to a squat by the side of the road, and fell to me butt. I tried to lean against the post, but when my back finally found it and leaned back, the thing collapsed backwards with me. I fell back until the post stopped at about a 75-degree angle.

I sat up straight and turned around, facing the white post in bewilderment. The thing wasn't in the ground nearly as deep or steady as I thought it was. The thing could be pulled out if it wanted. The chain did nothing to keep anything out…

Or anything else in…

I hopped up and jumped in giddiness. I high-fived myself and went to grab the post. I brought it back towards me at an even more extreme angle. Then forth, back, forth. Eventually, it was loose enough that I could pull it right out of the ground like a loose tooth. It was heavier than I thought, but my sudden ecstasy was taking over, so I threw the thing over to where it's brother stood, still in the ground. Hmph, it had seemed longer in the ground, but from here, I could see that it was only about four feet of wood.

I kicked the rest of the chain on the ground over to the other side into a tangled pile. From there, I remembered that the four-wheeler was still running on gas, and I only had a few extra cans of fuel for later. I ran back over to it and called for Zombie. She was missing now, but she quickly came running from a little away from the path. She jumped straight on when I patted the back seat part. She sat, and then lay down when I revved the engine and began forward. I turned right, as Al had told me to do. I was headed north for the city; he had said it would be a few days before I reached the destination if I could make the four-wheeler last that long. I wouldn't be able to, but it'd get me further than just on foot.

I was thankful for at least that.

 **Four POV**

We were headed up the highway for the entire day, which was good, I suppose. Lynn was in charge of the map, and setting us in the right direction, and Zeke was driving calmly, although he kept an eye on Uriah in the corner, where he was leaning over our entire array of weapons. I could only assume that he was taking inventory of everything we had. It was a compulsory kind of thing of his; counting and keeping his things in order. And it wasn't a bad thing, either. Having an inventory would keep anyone from stealing things, or wasting anything, too. If we began to run low on any of the supplies, we'd hold up on using it.

Eric was on top of the RV, I think. He had strapped a folding chair onto the roof, and then strapped himself to it. It was stupid, yeah, we all knew it, but he didn't care for our opinions. We couldn't leave him, and it was nice to have him out of our hair.

I told the guys and Lynn that I'd be taking a nap, and I walked to the bedroom and slid the door shut behind me. I moved a chair in front of the knob and sat on the bed. I slipped my shirt off and sat on the bed, but then laid down, resting my head on the center pillow. I pulled my arms up behind my head and I thought. I thought about the future among other things. I wondered if I'd ever get the life my parents had had. Well, not the fighting part, but rather the life they had before that. I had seen framed photos of them before I was born. Mom was young and beautiful and happy. Marcus had been happy, at least with her. Their wedding was gorgeous, too. When the photos started changing was really nineteen years ago. Around the time that Mom was pregnant with me.

It was stupid to think this, but I couldn't help it. I had always felt that I was the thing that ruined their marriage. I had ruined their lives, their love. Marcus had stopped smiling in photos, and Mom's smiled became forced, which was worse than none at all. The yelling would start when I was six, but it escalated to fighting after a year. Then, he began hitting her, finally coming after me when I was nine.

He ended up killing her in the end, when her body, or maybe her mind, just couldn't take it anymore. That was in part why he died at the beginning of the disease. He was never infected, although that's what I tell everybody these days. They would believe it; there wasn't any reason for them not to. But it wasn't the truth.

The truth was that I didn't save him. I easily could have, but I didn't. Technically, I never killed him, but I just told myself that to clear my conscience. Realistically, I never saved him, which was the same as killing him in most people's minds.

But that wasn't what I wanted to think about. I wanted to think that I'd get a chance with a girl, someone who would love me, despite the issues. But those would be easy to get over since everyone in the world these days had some kind of issues. Either they had killed someone they once knew because they had become something they couldn't _un_ become, or they killed someone to protect themselves and others.

So the girl I kept thinking about was the girl I had already met… and had started shooting at. Yeah, it wasn't the most pristine first impression, but I'm sure she understood.

I wanted to remember what she looked like, but it was fading quickly. The best memory I had of her was her socking me in the face with the blade, and then turning away as she ran into the corn. It was blurry, but I wanted to think what I saw in her eyes was regret. Maybe it was for hurting me, or maybe it was for leaving. Or maybe it was never even there, just my imagination.

I hadn't asked Zeke or Lynn if they knew her name, if her partner had said it back when they shot him. I wanted to, but there was this thing called pride standing in my way. So I didn't ask. I tried to let myself forget and fall asleep. I closed my eyes.

….

Lynn was shaking my shoulder when I woke up. I immediately reached for my knife on the nightstand, but it was gone. Lynn was holding it away from me, waiting for me to calm down. Damn, she knew I'd attack if woken suddenly.

"Give it to me," I commanded, a bit embarrassed. She handed it over, but started talking immediately.

"Look, Four," she said quickly. I noticed we were stopped in the middle of the road, from the lack of motion. I worried that something had happened to Eric, maybe he had fallen off. But Lynn seemed more frantic than solemn, so I ruled that possibility out. "We've got company." I sat up straighter. It was a simple sentence, but it brought lots of meaning. And questions.

Was the company a threat, or could they help us? Could we help them? Were there lots of them? Two or three? Were they armed?

I slid to the edge of the bed, and bent to my boots, slipping them on one at a time. I tied them tight and stood. I looked down to Lynn's hand, which was holding my shirt. She handed it to me, but I also saw that she was holding her pistol, ready for a fight. I didn't know if that said more about her or about the visitors. I moved into the main area and grabbed my coat from the bench. It made me warmer, but also made me seem bigger than I actually was, an illusion to assert dominance over the others. Uriah was by the door holding my rifle. He handed it to me, grabbing my wrist in the process. "Be careful," he said. I nodded and stepped down from the RV. I put a scowl on to let the others know I was not one to be messed with. I saw that Zeke was standing by their vehicle, a large dark van. They all seemed to be out already, which was either quick for Zeke to command, or they wanted to get out. Maybe their leader had told them to.

I heard a loud thud come from behind me and turned to see Eric jump down from the hood of the RV to the ground. Uriah stepped out, with Lynn following. The three of them began following behind me.

I finally reached Zeke standing with another guy, a bit younger than the both of us. He was blonde and green-eyed. He was a thin dude, without much meat on him, although I didn't want to underestimate him. He wouldn't be strong, but he'd be quick. He could be a threat. Zeke introduced us. "Four, this is Will," he said, motioning to the blonde. I nodded and held out my hand, holding the rifle in the other. He took my hand with a weak grip, which I wasn't able to tell if it was a tactic or a legitimate weakness.

"It's nice to meet someone new," the guy said, Will was his name. He pulled his hand away and dropped it to his side. I noticed out of the corner of my eye his other hand massaging the other. I cocked my head.

"He says he's from the more rural Illinois," Zeke told me, away from Will's ears. "They're headed for the city, but one of them is hurt." He paused. "They might need our help."

"That's exactly what we need," Will said from behind us. We both turned to him. I had thought he wasn't able to hear us. Eric's finger twitched on the trigger of his pistol. I kept an eye on him.

"Well, I mean," Will stuttered. "We don't necessarily _need_ your help, but it'd be appreciated. See he's important to our team, one of our smartest, just not smart enough to avoid getting shot." Eric snorted, but looked away after I gave him a look.

A girl walked around from the other side of the van, curly dark hair bouncing with every step. I hadn't been washed in a while; that much was obvious, but it was a nice kind of dirty look. I noticed Lynn roll her eyes. I didn't want to think it was because she was jealous of the girl's hair, but there wasn't anything else about the girl that could have gotten that reaction.

The girl walked to Will, and as she did so, I read her. She was a fighter, and she endured, I gathered just by the way she was dressed. She wore a white camisole, although it was stained with blood, along with the upper part of her exposed chest. I decided it wasn't hers. Her hands were stained, too, but they looked as if they had been washed. Her arms were bare, which was a bad choice, but a small jacket was tied around her waist, probably waiting until she got cold enough, which I figured would be quite soon. Her thin legs were straight and stick-like, and they were covered by skinny blue jeans that went straight into black combat boots. I noted the handle of a knife sticking out from her right boot.

She nodded to Zeke and looked to Uriah. She quickly looked away and turned to her companion, Will. She began speaking to him quietly, but I could hear a bit of it. Enough to know that it wasn't English. I advanced towards the couple and held out my hand. "English please," I told them. "I don't want you getting any ideas." The girl turned to me and opened her mouth, but Will cut her off.

"It's Spanish, and it's all she knows. This is Marlene," he said. "And I don't know enough to communicate an elaborate escape plan or whatever it is that you're thinking. I only took a few classes in high school, I can only understand her a bit." I stood there, evaluating the validity of his statement. I finally stepped back and nodded, letting them continue.

She spoke a little more, and Will finally answered in broken Spanish, proving his point. He was definitely not a native speaker. When they finally finished with the girl mostly dominating the conversation, Will nodded and sent her back to the back of the van.

"If you could come with us," Will suggested. "Mar's the closest thing we have to a medic, and she thinks he's ready to see others. I forgot to ask you, but I'm sure one of you have dealt with a bullet or two, right?"

None of us answered but Will still smiled and waved us along with him. I turned to see Lynn just in time for her to finish nodding. Lynn started behind him first, and the four of us followed her. I became a bit more skeptical of the new people when we turned to the other side of the van to see them standing around. There were only two others a few feet away. They were both girls, neither of which looked strong enough to survive on their own. Will waved in their direction. "They're Lauren and Molly," he informed us. "Found 'em with some other guys, but they bailed a few days in. Probably glad they got the two of them off their chests." Marlene was right by the entrance of the van now, grabbing a handle and pulling herself up into the back. She crawled over to where someone was lying around, covered by a dark blanket. She held his hand and began speaking to him. She leaned him up to sip some water, and we made eye contact. He looked to the others in my group, but Marlene was already laying him back down. He said something to her, but I was looking to Lynn, who was already on the edge of the van. I called to her, "Lynn," I said. She looked to me, raising her eyebrows, but that's all I saw. Marlene pulled the knife from her boot, and looked to Lynn, then to me. I widened my eyes to her in warning, but it didn't register in time.

Marlene launched herself forward, bringing the knife up and around to hover over Lynn's throat. He hands flew up to the knife, but Marlene wasn't budging. In a little over a second, I had brought my rifle up from my side to point to Will. And even though Zeke had searched him, we hadn't accounted for weapons that could have been inside the van. He had reached into the van, where a rack must have been holding a plethora of guns and knives. He had grabbed two standard issue pistols and pointed them to Uriah and Zeke.

"Don't try anything," he said to the two of them. "Drop your weapons." The two brothers hadn't been quick enough, and their weapons were still at their sides. Uriah looked to Zeke, and he nodded back to him, disregarding whatever I would have said. I respected that; he was only trying to protect his brother. They lowered their guns to the road. They stood up straight and put their hands up. "Now kick them over here." They complied. Will moved his focus aim to Eric and I.

He called the two other girls over here, but they hesitated before coming. Something was telling me they didn't know how to fire rifles like Uriah's or Zeke's. They showed up finally and took the weapons and Will's insistence. Even if they didn't know how to fire one accurately, they could still pull a trigger, and I wasn't about to take that chance.

"What's up, Marlene?" Will shouted in English to the girl in the van, who currently held Lynn's life in her hands.

She answered back in perfect English, which I swore to myself for. "Caleb's saying he knows them," she said. "He said the tall dark one shot him, and this one here hurt Tris. You know what that means, right?" She paused for a beat, but my mind wasn't where theirs' were. It was far behind. I didn't know what she was talking about at all, but Will seemed to. Dawning shone perfectly on his facial expression.

"They took her, Will. They took Tris."

 **I will finish this later, but I've been urged to update, and this is a great cliffhanger quote, right? I'll update soon, hopefully. I love all of you guys!**

 **Read and Review! (pls)**

 **xoxo**

 **Viv**


	12. Chapter 12

**Vacant – Chapter 12**

 **Four POV**

No one spoke for a few seconds, that is until Lynn began to struggle again. Marlene pulled the knife tighter around her captive's neck enough to draw some blood. Lynn winced, and I strengthened my poker face. Even so, I was terrified what the dark-haired girl would be capable of. And we were now outnumbered since Uriah and Zeke handed over their weapons. Marlene was silent still, and she seemed to be waiting for Will to say anything.

In that time that it took for Will to speak up finally, I had sorted out the possibilities of what they could have been talking about. But Lynn was the one to voice it.

"The girl," she said from behind the knife, her voice hoarse. "That bitch whose ass I kicked." Will spun around to her, and Marlene began to pull the knife tighter, forcing Lynn's neck to lean back with it. Molly and Laruen still had their weapons on me. No one was aiming at Eric, though. Maybe they forgot about him. I tried to get his attention with my eyes, but he was too busy staring down Lynn.

"Don't you fucking talk about her like that," Will shouted at her. "You don't know her so you can keep your bitch mouth shut." He came back to face me, and Eric was no longer beside me. He had dropped down to get the surprise advantage. Will wasn't an idiot, though. He had a steady hand and a calm conscious, and he made a swift motion to follow Eric's body. He pulled the trigger twice quickly, missing the first, but then hitting Eric's thigh on the second. It was enough to bring him to the ground, moaning in subtle pain. He clenched his teeth together and held both hands to his wound, but that wasn't enough to stop or even slow the blood flowing out of his leg. Will had, intentionally or not, hit an artery.

At this point, I was the only one I trusted with a weapon. Will was about to take that away, too. He pulled it up quickly enough, and he was breathing hard. Although he had seemed calm before when he was nearly killing Eric, I wasn't sure he was capable of controlling himself anymore enough to talk. He was angry now. This Tris girl, the one that we had taken, but who had escaped, she obviously meant something to this group of people.

I took my finger away from the trigger of my rifle and straightened up. I slowly lifted the gun up beside my head in a surrender motion. "I'm done," I said slowly, trying not to set him off. I bent down to kneel. "I'm not going to resist. I don't want any more trouble. We don't have your girl anymore. She ran away a few days ago, miles from here. She's gone." I paused a bit, gauging his reaction. I needed to know if I was in the clear yet. But he wasn't showing any emotion. "My friend here needs help now." I motioned to Eric with my eyes. Will followed my eyes with his own.

"He does, doesn't he?" he said patronizingly. Even from here, I knew what he was about to do. And in hindsight, I suppose I should have done something to stop it, to try to help Eric, but in reality, Will was right; there was no way we could have helped him.

So Will did what I might have done in the situation. Will strode over to Eric lying helplessly on the ground and hovered over him for a moment. He then pulled out a seven-inch-long serrated knife and bent to his head. I couldn't see the exchange from where I stood, but I want to think there was some part of Will that didn't want to do this. If there wasn't, he'd be a ruthless son of a bitch that might kill all of us. But there was no way to tell. I looked away long enough to finally turn back to see Will's arm jerk back from Eric's head, bloody knife in hand.

He stood and walked back to Lynn and Marlene. He dropped the knife next to them, and he looked at me. I stared back.

When he advanced towards me, I didn't flinch. He reached up and grabbed the rifle from my hands. He took it back to the van and unloaded it. He hung it on the interior rack and threw the bullets into a bin inside. Lauren and Molly handed over their weapons at Will's insistence. He did the same with them, all while speaking to Marlene. Obviously, they didn't care if Lynn could hear them, which made me worry that they'd kill her anyway.

"She should be back by now," Marlene said, a bit worried. "She's been out all morning since we stopped. What if something happened to her?"

"She'll be fine. Shauna's tough," he reassured her. "Tris taught her-" he tried to continue, but Lynn was having a reaction. She tried to spin to face Will, but Marlene had a tight grip on her, one that could kill if she moved much further. She seemed to know this, since she stopped, but remained trying to question Will.

"What did you just say?" she asked struggling. "Who's out there?" Her eyes darted to the tree line behind us. I looked, too. There was some movement, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Shauna," Lynn shouted. "Shauna, it's Lynn. I'm here, they're gonna hurt me!" she shouted even louder. I noticed that she had a bit of a scratch in her voice, so I wondered if it was from emotion, or from the pain. Either way, I hadn't ever seen her cry. I looked away from guilt. She wouldn't want us to see her like this.

Will pulled out his pistol again and moved towards the trees, but then someone else burst through the thick trunks. Her feet stumbled onto the dry leaves, making a satisfying crunching noise. She had a woven basket on her side, but she looked up to Will, then to me, then finally to where Marlene had Lynn to her knife. The basket dropped from her grip and tilted over, spilling its contents of what seemed like plain green leaves.

The girl, who Lynn seemed to know somehow as Shauna, began to walk towards her sitting in the van. She made it a few steps before actually noticing the knife being held at her friend's throat. Anger flashed across her face, but it was soon replaced by confusion. She looked to Marlene and began to advance towards her. I thought she'd fight her, but Will stepped in, seeing the same reaction.

He grabbed her shoulders, and it was a bit awkward since she was a few inches taller than him. But he was stronger, so although there was some struggle, Shauna's effort wasn't enough to get away.

"Will," she objected. "Will, what the hell!? What the hell do you think you're doing? Let her go!" she shouted. Lynn continued to struggle. I looked to Zeke and Uriah, who seemed more concerned for Lynn's well being than the situation at hand. I looked to Eric's body before I remembered he was dead. Shauna continued to struggle with Will, yelling profanities at him.

"Let her go! Let her go!" she shouted. "That's my sister! Let her go!" After she said that, Will's grip on her faltered.

"Wait!" he commanded. "Shauna, wait. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fucking sure," she argued. "Don't hurt her, she's my sister." Will looked to Marlene, and I saw their silent conversation. Marlene seemed unsure, but Will nodded to her. She pulled her knife away from Lynn's throat, and Lynn slid down against the van, landing on the pavement. Will let Shauna run to her sister.

Lynn stood up, brushed herself off and let Shauna embrace her. She hugged back for a while, and they rocked back and forth before Lynn was facing Marlene. She flipped her off behind Shauna's back. Marlene rolled her eyes and turned back to where their injured friend was still lying in the back of the van.

I figured she was changing his bandages. I moved to Lynn and Shauna. Will did the same. We stood across from each other, glaring. The sisters were the only things separating us. He shouted to Lauren and Molly a few yards away. "Lauren, Molly," he said. "Take care of that body, would you?" They looked uncertainly towards where Eric lay, but they still moved to him. I was sure they'd done some kind of dirty work in the last few months.

"No," I argued, stopping them with my voice. "Let my guys do it; he was our partner." The girls stopped and looked to Will for confirmation. We kept eye contact, but he nodded after a few seconds. Maybe he figured it was best, or maybe he didn't think arguing with me was worth it. Either way, Zeke and Uriah uncertainly began to deal with Eric. Zeke picked up his body, and Uriah grabbed two shovels from their van. The two of them left the highway and sauntered off into the woods.

"You killed him," I accused of Will. "You shot him, and it wasn't even necessary." Will stared back at me, but didn't try to defend himself. Shauna looked at her sister, confused. Lynn looked down away from her sister's eyes, but agreed with me. "He's right," she said. "You killed Eric in cold blood; you're a killer."

Will looked a bit offended. "Do I need to remind you that you people shot Caleb, our smartest asset and took his sister," he told us, trying to advance on me, but Shauna held him back with an arm. "So no, I don't think it was really in cold blood, considering he was leaping to attack Molly, who we all know can't protect herself for the life of her."

"Hey," Molly objected, but Lauren grabbed her.

"He's not wrong," she mumbled. Molly stopped arguing, but remained looking pissed.

But during this exchange, I wasn't really listening. I had stopped after Will had mentioned Caleb's relationship to the girl, Tris. I had assumed they were dating, but I was realizing that had been a bit heteronormative of me. He had said that they were he was her brother, which meant she was probably available, unless by some cruel trick of nature, she had an actual boyfriend. I was embarrassed when I came back to reality to find that I had actually been so concerned with this issue. But I was still reassured when I made this connection.

"Guys, stop arguing," Shauna insisted. She looked at Will and addressed him. "Will, Lynn's a good person. I'm sure whatever she did had a good enough reason." And then to Lynn, "These people saved me from myself. Remembered that night when everything went to hell? When Hector…" she trailed off. "I thought you died, Lynn. I saw the Biters take you. I had to get out of there. I was certain you were dead. I had been running away for days, not eating or sleeping because of what happened, but these people found me on the side of the road. Tris, the girl you guys took, she was the one that chose to keep me. She saved me."

"But Shauna, you're forgetting they took Tris," Will argued, throwing his hands up. "For twisted reasons unknown. And they lost her, so she could be dead by now-" Shauna cut him off.

"She's not dead, Will," she insisted. She looked at him and grabbed his shoulders. I observed as they stared into the other's eyes and noticed a tear fall down his cheek.

 _I knew it,_ I thought. _I knew he wasn't such a fucking hardass._ I stopped myself from smiling at my thoughts. It would seem sadistic to smile at another guy's tears. I looked away instead.

Far in the distance, I heard a strong motor running. And above the road, I was reminded of the impending storm that would arrive soon. The clouds were larger now, and darker, too. Then about a mile away, I noticed a black dot beginning to take shape. It looked like a motorcycle, with a dark rider driving towards us. He was thin and wore almost all black, and he himself was black. He had sunglasses on, and an old 50s motorcycle helmet on.

Will and Shauna both turned to the figure, but I clenched my fists, wishing I had my rifle, but it was too far away. But neither of them seemed too concerned, so I soon realized he was part of them. Finally the man arrived and drove in a final circle before parking the motorcycle and stepping off. He got up and I hit myself mentally. _He_ was actually a _she._ Her body definitely took that shape. She swung the helmet off and held it under her arm. She then slid her sunglasses up into her hair. She eyed Lynn and me, but then moved on when she saw the blood stains on the pavement left behind from Eric's last stand.

Her eyes widened, and she shot a glance to Will. "Where's Caleb?" she asked frantically.

Will saw what she saw, but reassured her. "No, no," he denied. "It's not his blood. He's still in the van, but he needs professional medical help soon. He's getting bad." The girl continued to move towards the van and peer in. She nodded when she saw Marlene leaning over Caleb. She rested a hand on his foot, and spoke softly to him, but in the dead silence between all of us, we all heard it.

"Don't worry, Caleb," she said. "I've found a place where we can rest. It'll only be a short drive. We'll be there in no time."

"What?" Will asked. "You found something? Where is it? Is it close?" he questioned further.

"Woah, alright, calm down, Will," she said, holding up a hand. "You skipped introductions." She motioned to Lynn and me. She moved to us and held a hand out to Lynn first.

"Right, okay," Will said unsure why this girl was keeping up pre-disease traditions. "Christina, this is Lynn, from the RV, and she's Shauna's long lost sister or some shit." He scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable with all of this. Lynn shook her hand, but not out of friendliness, but rather because she couldn't have done anything else. He moved on to me. "And uh… this is-" I cut him off, capable of introducing myself.

"I'm Four," I said powerfully, taking her hand in mine. I was expecting to shake a weak hand, but was surprised by her firm grip.

"Christina," she said evenly, not fazed by my aggression.

Lynn spoke next, "Are you and Caleb a thing?" she asked. "Or would you be too upset if her died?"

"Lynn," I said, giving her a look. The first question was alright, but the second one was unnecessary.

"Oh," Christina said, surprised. "What an odd question. Well, no to the first question. We're not a thing. But yes to the second question. Frankly, I'd be quite pissed if he died. See, he's a friend's brother, and she might kill me if he died. And those bastards who _actually_ did this to him should pay, not me, but she's a stubborn bitch. So what're you gonna do, right?" She said this all very quickly, so there wasn't much opportunity to interrupt her. She seemed to realize how aggressive she was, so she calmed down. "I'm just hoping he's stubborn, too, enough to live anyway."

"Christina, the shelter…" Will reminded her and trailed off.

She nodded. "Right, that," she remembered. "I found a place north of here, probably about ten miles. Anyway, there's this dirt path that branches off from the main highway. There was this chain, but it's broken. I drove down the path, but stopped at its clearing; there's this giant mansion." She pulled up her hands to show how big it was. "I didn't clear it out, or even look into it, but it seems good enough for at least tonight. And by the look of the sky," she said and looked up to that darkening clouds. "We should probably get going." Just then, like in a movie, lightning struck a few miles away, and the thunder was loud enough to make Marlene jump in the van. "Shit," she swore.

"Like, right now," Christina said.

…

 **Tris POV**

I had been driving the four-wheeler for hours. It was now dark, not because it was late, bur rather because it was about to storm. I was starting to regret this stunt of leaving the shelter of the mansion so soon. Al was probably nice and cozy in the family home, but a part of me wanted him to be worried for me. It had been a long time since someone had shown a romantic kind of concern for me. I suppose it was selfish to think this. I had Will and Caleb and Marlene who all cared so much for me. And even Shauna loved me like a sister, probably. They'd all die for me, but for some reason, I didn't want just that. I wanted someone who would die for me, but also who would live for me. I wanted someone to love me until the day I died, and love me even after that. I wanted someone who would carry my memory on for others to remember me.

It was a lot to ask, especially now, so I often found myself hiding those kind of desperate thoughts, even from myself. With Al, that had ben the first time I had actually registered them, but now they didn't seem to go away. I knew love was an expensive thing these days, and it would make me weak, so I never went for it. But I couldn't help but regret rejecting Al. Sure, I didn't see a life with him; we just didn't have the chemistry. But in the case that he was the last eligible guy I'd see in the world, I would live to regret my actions, no doubt.

But then there was always the blue-eyed boy from the RV. I prayed to God he was single, even though I didn't believe in Him. And even if He was, I wasn't sure He'd answer any prayers of mine. I wasn't sure if I'd been pleasing the last few months.

At that point, rain had begun to sprinkle down on Zombie and me. I was getting more and more concerned now with what the plan was. I looked behind me, while keeping the four-wheeler driving straight. The dark clouds were a few miles away, but they were full of lightning and swirling clouds. It would catch up quite soon. I turned back and began to speed up. I started looking out for any traffic that would have tried to escape the city, but I was too far away. They cars would be closer to the city, and I wasn't close enough to even see the cars.

I turned around again to gauge the storm and swore. It was basically on my heels now. I had to hurry. It'd be too difficult to dry my clothes after they got wet. I turned back again and tore at the brakes. I turned the four-wheeler so it began sliding sideways until it came to a stop. In front of me was an eighteen-wheeler tipped on its side. The trailer part had come unattached from the cab par, the cables snapped and frayed. I decided it would have to do. I got off the four-wheeler and yanked the keys out of the ignition, not wanting to waste any more fuel. I went to my supplies and tried to remember if I had packed a crowbar. Of course, I hadn't because I couldn't have anticipated this situation. I ran to the cab part, which was actually upright. I pulled out a knife and then pulled myself up to peer into the window. There was a body, but it didn't look alive. I stepped down and swung the door open. I began to feel the rain water start again, but faster this time. I looked at the trucker, but he was surely dead.

I looked at him further, searching for any wounds or bites that could have killed him, but the only blood I saw on him was two thin trails of blood from his nose leading to his mouth. He seemed to be like Al's brother, dead but not an _undead_. He was pale and dry, but he hadn't turned. I grabbed his shoulders and threw him down to the pavement, urged by the imminence of the storm. He landed hard, and I winced, but I moved onto the cab, looking for the keys, which happened to still be in the ignition. I grabbed them, and then looked in the glovebox. I threw papers onto the ground and finally found a tool I could use in the case that he keys didn't work: a hammer.

I jumped back out, but seemed to land wrong. I winced, and then fell. I looked at my ankle and saw that it had bent wrong. "Dammit!" I whispered. I struggled to get up and called for Zombie. "Grab him!" I pointed to the trucker. "Grab him!" I commanded again, and demonstrated with my teeth. She turned her head at me, confused.

"Ah, forget it!" I said. I began limping back to the trailer, finally fumbling with the set of keys. I tried two on the padlock before finally getting lucky with the third. It turned all the way and I felt the click. Thankfully, it wasn't a door that slid up, but rather two double doors. But they were on their sides, so I lifted the upper one, and held it open for Zombie. "Go, Zombie," I told her. "Jump in!" She hesitated, but I yelled again, and she obeyed. Then I went to the four-wheeler, and grabbed the essentials that couldn't get wet, including my clothes, blankets, and all of the food. I threw those into the trailer, and considered grabbing the trucker.

On the one hand, I would have to deal with his stench. On the other, he'd get wet and gross, and I wouldn't be able to examine him anymore. I had to take the first option. I went back and began dragging, which proved to be extremely difficult, considering it was just his dead weight, in addition with my weak ankle. It took about a minute, but in that time, the storm was probably as bad as it was going to get. The rain was coming down like an assault. Lightning struck a few miles away, and I could hear Zombie whimpering inside the trailer. I kicked the bottom door open, causing the upper one to swing shut. I dropped the trucker, and threw myself into the trailer. The rain stop pounding on my skin, but I could hear it echo all over now that it was hitting the metal box I was now inside. I turned over and rested for a second before crawling back and grabbing the trucker by his limp hands. He had gloves on, which gave me an okay grip, enough to slide him in without much difficulty.

I pulled him in and fell back, exhausted. I rested for a little while, before I got cold. Then, I got back up, and moved to pull the door shut. I stood and fumbled for a flashlight from my pack, looking around the interior of the trailer. There were fallen boxes and crates, but they hadn't fallen open or anything; nothing was spilling out of them.

I dragged the trucker against one of the walls furthest away from the boxes and put him in a sitting position. I sat back and gathered my supplies into a pile near Zombie. I began to strip my soaked clothes. First it was the camo hunting jacket, then the jeans. I finally lost my tank top, but resisted taking anything else off, scared it'd be awkward with Zombie right there. I began limping to a pile of crates. I fixed them up a bit and grabbed one of the blankets from my supply pile. I whipped it out and smoothed it down. I crawled onto it and set the flashlight next to me. I crawled back and leaned against the cold wall, but there wasn't much I could do about that. I closed my eyes to rest. I'd change my clothes after a few minutes of rest.

….

I woke up startled, and a bit angry with myself. I hadn't intended to fall asleep, not at all. I had meant to rest for a few minutes, but now I felt better physically. I wasn't as tired, but my body still ached, either from remaining in this position, or because of the physical strain I had been putting on my body lately.

I began to sit up before l realized how much time had actually passed… or how little time.

Rain was still beating down on the trailer. Hard. This meant that the storm was still here, and at its full power. Which was weird, because I couldn't figure what had woken me up. Just then, a pounding came at the trailer doors, but it wasn't from the rain. My breath quickened; it was even, which meant it was someone or something out there, trying to get in. Dead or undead, I couldn't tell. I fumbled to grab my pistol from where it lay a few feet away, but in the process, I knocked over the flashlight.

I froze.

So did the pounding.

The rain continued.

Finally after a few seconds of terror, the bottom door fell open, and I jumped. _Fuck it,_ I thought. Whatever it was knew I was here, and I needed the flashlight. I went straight for it and grabbed it. When I threw myself back to my previous position against the wall, I looked immediately to the doors. My heart sank when I saw a huge silhouette of a man standing at the entrance, and lightning struck right behind him, giving him a sold black color. But I threw the light onto him and let out a sigh.

"Al," I breathed.

 **Woah, guys. This was a nice chapter, wasn't it? Damn right it was. Thank you, thank you. I know. I wanted to remind everyone that this is my primary story right now, but also that I've reopened my other story, so of course writing will be slower. Thanks all for the great reviews and follows and favorites. They mean a lot to me and make my day. I always update at nights, and really enjoy reading the reviews in the morning.**

 **Also, for next chapter, there might be a little AlxTris, but it's not permanent! It's for the convenience of the plot. I will always be a die-hard shipper of Fourtris.**

 **Thanks again, my lovely little chocolates!**

 **Enjoy the chapter.**

 **-Viv**


	13. Chapter 13

**Vacant – Chapter 13**

"Jesus Christ, Tris," he said in disbelief. He began walking towards where I sat against the cold metal interior of the trailer.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, surprised by his sudden appearance. "I thought you were staying behind at the manor…"

He waved me off as if his family house wasn't worth mentioning at the moment. "Nevermind that," he dismissed the thought. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?" I slouched back a bit, relaxing at his concern. I dropped both of my hands down from their hostile positions, taking the light off if his face. I let the pistol fall from my hand, and I set the flashlight next to me, facing up, in a way that the light beam bounced off of the ceiling and illuminated the entire trailer. In this light, I watched as Al came and crouched in front of me, staring at my ankle. His hands hovered over it, looking for the best places by which to hold it. He tried one position, but I winced in pain and tried to draw my foot back. He looked up at me.

"Sorry," he apologized.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it," I said. "I think I sprained it in the rain. I haven't gotten a good look at it yet, though." Al nodded while still examining my self-diagnosed ankle.

"Seems like you're right," he agreed. "Looks sprained. We should wrap it." He stood, and I tried to stand with him, but he set his hands on my shoulders. "No, no, no," he said. "Let me. I'll do it."

I paused, but then followed his orders. I sat back and rested, but pointed at my bundle of supplies on the ground a few feet away. "There's some medical wrap somewhere in there, I think," I offered. He nodded and crouched down there, shifting some things out of the way before he finally held up a limp roll of medical gauze. I nodded. He came back to me and had me scoot over. He sat next to me, and I let him pull my injured foot up onto his lap. He began to work on it.

I found this to be the perfect opportunity to question him.

"How'd you show up here, Al?" I asked him. "There's no better way to tell me. I mean, I'm glad of course, but I thought you couldn't stand to leave the house…"

He continued to pull the wrap around and around my ankle strategically. He shook his head and paused, thinking about what to say. Then he continued. "I couldn't stand the thought of you out here alone, and then it started raining. I packed a few things as fast as I could and started out here, but I then I saw the broken chain at the entrance, and I got worried. I started driving north like I had told you to do, and I found the four-wheeler just parked out front, the keys missing, so I knew you had them. By then, it was really storming. I found you here… And if I can't convince you to come back with me, then I'm coming with you to the city." He finished with the wrap, and looked down, away from my eyes. I rested a hand on his thigh, causing him to look there, and then up at me. He placed his hand on mine, and I realized what this might have looked like on the outside: like two lovers caught in the rain.

At this point, the last thing I wanted to do was lead him on. I chose to give an air of humor, then.

"Well, then," I said, changing the subject. "Looks like we're going to the city." I laughed and he did the same, probably not because I was funny, but rather because he wasn't sure what else to do. I took this opportunity to pull my hand away.

I tucked some hair behind my ear and scooted a bit away from him, suddenly becoming conscious of my nakedness. He looked down, too, noticing my embarrassment and quickly looked away. He stood from his crouch and moved away.

"I'll get you some dry clothes, then," he suggested.

I offered a weak, "Thanks," meanwhile pulling the blanket up and wrapping it around myself.

He faced the other wall while I got dressed, trying to busy himself with fixing a lock onto the doors of the trailer. I moved up next to him when I finished. I was still standing, but I peered around the trailer, remembering the trucker I had dragged in here. But I couldn't find him. I moved boxes and crates around, searching everywhere, becoming increasingly concerned, enough so that my breath even picked up in pace.

He wasn't here anymore.

The only explanation I could think of was impossible. But now Al was concerned with my concern.

"Tris," he said, standing from his position. "Tris, what's wrong? Why are you pacing?" I spun around once or twice in panic before Al grabbed me by my shoulders and gave me a small shake. I looked at him, scared.

"He's gone," I said. "He's gone."

His brows wrinkled in confusion, so he shook his head and blinked a few times. "What?" he asked. "Who? Who's gone?"

"The trucker," I yelled incredulously. "He's gone. There was a trucker in the cab of the eighteen-wheeler, and he was dead. But he was like your brother, Al. He hadn't turned, but he had been dead for a while. He wasn't infected, so I dragged him in here and sat him up against the wall, but he's gone now." A sudden thought hit me, so I looked around again, but I was right.

Zombie was missing, too.

"Jesus Christ, Al," I said. "He's gone. Zombie. He left. They both did." I grabbed my hair and spun in another circle. This time when Al tried to grab me, I flung myself away from him; he dropped his arms. I stumbled away from him and sat back down on the crates and boxes. I pushed myself against the wall and let my head fall back. I let my eyes close and I lied down. I hadn't been this miserably distraught since the very beginning. I had been angry and frustrated and pissed plenty of times, but I hadn't felt true sadness since everything I had loved had been ripped from my life. I had found this feeling to be the most difficult which with to deal. I turned away from the doors of the trailer and faced the blank wall. I subconsciously decided to deal with this all tomorrow. A few minutes passed and I forgot about Al. He must have been standing there for a while. But then I felt a gentle force lie down behind me. It gave me slight discomfort, but I was too upset to say anything to him.

But then he wrapped an arm around me; I stopped breathing. I was actually extremely uncomfortable at this point, but I lied still for a few minutes. Finally, I was about to say something about my supposed boyfriend, but I stopped myself.

He wasn't real. None of it was real. I figured that as soon as I convinced myself of that, I'd be freer. As long as I played this charade, I wasn't doing myself any good. I was only deceiving myself. I was telling myself that there was in fact a happy ending to be had, that I could actually live the life I wanted, one with a lover and freedom. I could live a life without fear.

But none of this was realistic. I wasn't being realistic, and I hated myself for this. I was a fool to think I had a future with some stranger like the one I had attacked. I wasn't ever going to see him again; he was probably dead. And the chances of finding anyone else in the world were unlikely, considering the lack of communication or transportation. The people with whom I could possibly have a future were right here in front of me, and if I were too blind to see it, I didn't deserve to live in this world.

And Al. Al was a reliable man to depend on, if I were to choose. He was here now, and that was enough. He had implied that there was a future for us, and that was more than enough. It was a promise in a sense; he was giving me more than anyone else could at the moment, and I was thinking about loving him. Maybe it wasn't necessary, not really for survival. But if he were to love me in the future, I'd be doing him a favor to make the feeling mutual. And it had always been my theory that if you were to spend enough time with another person, you'd develop feelings for them. Maybe not romantic or sexual, but it would be a bond that could only be described as love. That was why I thought Stockholm Syndrome was so terrifying.

So it wasn't such a wild thought to think that we could have a relationship that could blossom. He had lots to offer, and to pass that up would be a mistake I'd probably regret later.

After all of this went through my head, Al's breathing behind me had slowed and steadied. He was asleep, and I figured I'd do the same. It was late and there was no use worrying about Zombie or the truck driver. Chances were, one would show up tomorrow without the other. I closed my eyes and calmed my breathing. I cleared my mind of any negative thoughts, and I focused on making it through the night, reassured that Al would be there in the morning.

…

I woke to the serene-like sounds of birds chirping outside and twigs snapping on the ground outside. The blankets were for the most part, away from me. Except I didn't feel cold at all. Instead, there was the smell of fresh earth and fallen rain from last night's storm. The bottom door had swung shut, which was peculiar, but I couldn't remember if we had closed it last night. Warm air blew in gently.

I sat up and patted my hand behind me, searching blindly for Al. Except my hand never found his large body, but rather the ruffled blanket on which he had laid the night before. The area was still warm, so he hadn't been up for long. I looked around frantically and listened again intently for the noise I had heard before. The branches snapping sounded unintentional and unmatched. I realized that they couldn't have been Al, since they sounded completely haphazard. Although he might have lacked grace or stealth, he would be able to maintain some kind of timing to his steps.

I though back to the night before, when both Zombie and the trucker had gone missing. My heart began beating faster and adrenaline rushed through my veins as I let my feet fall to the ground gracefully. The metal floor was cold, but I barely felt it. I let the weight of my body balance on my feet as I stood. I made my way over to the pile of supplies I had brought inside the night before and grabbed a new change of clothes. I only had time to slip on a pair of loose black cargo pants when I heard the snapping stop. I paused. The woods were close to the tipped trailer, meaning they were right at the edge of the pavement. I only had a few seconds before it would be at the edge of the doors. I moved to where my pistol lay on the ground, picking it up and holding it in my palm, safety off but facing down. I moved to the edge of the doors. If the Turned wasn't a cripple, it wouldn't be able to see my feet at the door, since it would be too tall. I moved my ear closer to the upper door, which was still shut. I listened for any movement to give away its position; instead I heard soft padding, like skin on the pavement. I still needed confirmation that it was a Turned so I could use a bullet. And if it didn't attack first, I'd simply stick to using a blade to preserve ammunition. I brought the pistol up and hit the upper door slightly, just to give a sign that there was life inside the trailer. This would surely piss it off enough to make a vocal, or at least guttural, sound.

Instead what I got was a bark. From a dog. I dropped down immediately into a crouch to look outside. I recognized the familiar bronze coat of Zombie. I said her name once in a small questioning tone. She barked again in response. I let out an excited screech, and she barked again as I crawled out from the trailer, letting the pistol lay a few feet away. I opened my arms to her and she moved into them, making small prancing motions with her feet, bouncing up and down. She nudged my forearm once and did a nosedive into the pavement, rolling over onto her back. I sat next to her and scratched her fur. She lied like a beetle on its back with her head tilted to one side and her tongue sticking out one side of her mouth. She had a stupid smile on her face as I started scratching her chin.

This was a new side of her I had yet to be introduced to. It was weird to see her like this, considering that when I found her, she was weak and bloodied, and only a few days ago, she had torn the throat out of the Turned. I didn't care much, though. I knew there were sides of me that no one had seen before. And no one was ever made up just of a fight; there was always a big sweetheart in everyone.

I heard more snapping of twigs from the woods, and before I could think, I had the pistol in my hand aimed up at the noise, my finger by the trigger. My vision focused on the target in front of me, and Zombie got to her feet quickly, a snarl tugging at her teeth. Except her vision cleared before mine. She saw the familiar before I did and relaxed. She walked forward and rubbed her wet snout on the back of my hand that held the pistol.

"Put the gun down, Tris," Al said at the end of my pistol. He stood a few feet away, but since I was crouching, he stood towering over me. I exhaled and dropped my head, standing up. He walked towards me, resting a hand on my shoulder. I looked at it and tried to hide my discomfort again at touch. I cleared my face and put on a smile instead. I motioned to Zombie.

"She came back this morning. Just showed up," I told him. He laughed lightly and looked down. I made a confused expression for a few seconds before laughing, too. "You brought her back, didn't you?" I asked. That's why he had come out from the woods right behind her. He didn't confirm it, but he laughed a bit more instead, which worked just as well. I tried to look at the scene from the outside and saw us together, laughing with his hand on my shoulder. This was a start, but I'd have to help out if the relationship were to sprout at all.

I gathered the courage and my hand twitched. I finally moved it up to rest on his hand. He looked up at me, staring into my eyes, doing that quite romantic thing with his eyes, where they bounce between your own two eyes, focusing on one and then the other. He moved in a bit closer and brought his other hand up from his side and hovered it over my cheek. I noticed then how cool the air was compared to his hand. And when he actually rested it on my cheek, it felt slightly damp, in a clammy way. He was nervous about this.

I didn't know whether to be anxious about this too, or rather over it. Because at that point, my mind was rushing with different feelings. They were old feelings, ones that I had already had before, regarding the possibility of a relationship with Al. I remembered my new mindset: any relationship at this point would be worth it, no matter with whom it existed. So I closed my eyes before he did and leaned in. We made brief contact before I pulled away, looking down. He lifted my chin up with a finger.

"It's okay," he whispered. He leaned in again, and the kiss occurred for the second time, a bit longer this time. Except this time, he moved his hand down from my cheek to my waist, pulling me closer. I stumbled into him and put a hand up to his chest. I told myself this was to steady myself, but I knew deep down it might have been to keep some distance between us. I pulled away a second time and brought a second hand up, applying small pressure, but not in a hostile manner. He brought his head up and rested it on mine. I was sure his eyes were closed, but mine were wide open. My mind was racing, deciding whether I should be regretting this or trying to go along with it for now.

As far as Al knew, I had a boyfriend. And right now I was cheating. He shouldn't be surprised if I stopped him right now. He'd have to deal with it, right? He wouldn't want to get in the way of two people who were supposedly in love, even if one of them happened to be fake.

I thought about the day ahead of us, wondering if we were supposed to continue the journey to the city, or if we'd rest here for a while. Yesterday, I was in a hurry because I thought the winter was rolling in fast, except now, I wasn't too sure. It was warmer than the day before, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The sun shined down warmly and heated my bare shoulders. It was then that I realized I was just in a sports bra and the cargo pants. I stepped back from Al, trying to regain the confidence I had maintained only a few days ago when I had first met him. Now, I was all flustered like him, and this was wearing away at my poise. I was concerned that my dependence on him last night had given him the wrong idea. I ran my hands through my hair and pulled it back over my shoulders in one swift motion. I looked up to the sky again, but this time ignoring the clouds or lack thereof and instead focusing on the sun and its position in the sky. I wondered what time it was, since I had actually woken up refreshed. It looked like it was a few hours passed noon, which surprised me a bit, but Al spoke before I could voice it.

"We should get some food, huh?" he suggested. I nodded as he ran a hand over his chin.

"Yeah, we should," I agreed.

"I went out this morning to scavenge a bit," he continued. "But I couldn't find anything but a couple of these weird berries." He pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and opened it, pouring the contents into his other hand. I looked down at them, but they didn't look familiar. It was kind of cute to see him want to try to help and participate in surviving, but as I had already suspected, he had lived a sheltered life. He had probably never fired a firearm, or maybe even gone camping. I doubted he could hunt, and these "weir berries" of his could get us killed. So maybe he'd be more of a burden than a benefit, but he was a companion all the same, which was worth almost any price. And I didn't want to let him down too harshly.

"I'm not really sure what those are, so we'd better not risk it," I suggested. "I was thinking more along the lines of preparing something from our packs."

"Oh," he said, slightly embarrassed. "Right, of course." He turned and threw the berries away into the woods, making a quiet pattering noise. I turned around, too, squatting down to grab my pistol and slipping it back into my belt, safety on. When our backs were turned, I let out another shaky breath, except now it was from chills. I needed a shirt first.

Walking towards the trailer, Al stopped me with his voice. "Hey, Tris," he said, pausing for me to turn to him. I did. "I you wanted to wash up a bit, I found a small creek out about a mile into the trees."

I was about to deny the offer, just out of habit, but then I really thought about it. I hadn't been really clean for a while. The rain from last night had left my body sticky and when I was at the mansion, I had used the sinks to wash myself. My hair was knotted and my skin felt clammy.

"Alright," I agreed. "I'll check it out."

….

 **Christina POV**

I woke in the morning slightly dazed, wondering where the hell I actually was. I sat up from my position and moved my legs around a bit to wake them up. I looked around the room and realized I was sitting on a bed, where I had slept the night before. Beside me, Will's chest rose and fell silently. I remembered the day before, when we had been traveling down the highway, and we had spotted the heavy clouds ahead of us. Will had sent me ahead of the van to try to scope out any kind of shelter for us to use. I had gone only a few hours before I had found the broken chains that had previously blocked off a dirt path to where we were now, which is to say the mansion.

It was peculiar the first time I had saw it. I thought I was high or something, to find something so beautiful and dark so deep in the woods of rural Illinois. I had left the motorcycle and looked in a few windows, checking for any dead, but there had been none. And then lightning had struck somewhere in the distance, so I had decided to return back to Will and the others. And when I had gotten back, there were others with them, another party. Will had told me that they were supposed to help with Caleb's situation, but when I got a look of them, they all seemed like fighters. We had a quick introduction, but then the rain was almost on us, so Will decided to save some information for later. So we got in our van, and they got in their RV, and we were all on our merry way. Except, when we were in the van, Will had told me who they were, what they had done to Tris.

When I saw them again, I had walked right up to Four and punched him in the face. Very blunt. He had been taken aback, but then came at me again, except now Will was there between us, holding Four back. I had started yelling at him, but I couldn't quite remember what I had said. Shauna had told me to calm down, claiming that they had just lost one of their own, Eric. She told me that it wasn't their fault that Tris was now missing. She had escaped them supposedly and it was on her. Marlene had interfered then, urging us to check out the mansion to see if it was clear. Caleb needed medicine and rest quickly, so we had stopped fighting for a while, and I pushed away my anger.

It didn't take us long to clear the building, but that was because there was nothing to clear. No Turned had been walking through the halls or the stairs or the rooms. I had checked the main floor and found the pantry full of food. And an unnerving frayed rope hanging from one of the rafters inside. I introduced Shauna to the room, and she got to work on meals for us before we turned in for the night.

Will and Four had taken the upstairs, clearing one room, moving Mar and Caleb there and then continuing. Apparently, there were some painkillers in a medicine cabinet in one of the master bedrooms, so Caleb had been knocked out for the rest of the night, Marlene checking on him every now and then. The brothers, Uriah and Zeke, from the other group had done a perimeter sweep outside until it started to rain before retreating back inside. By then, everyone was finished with the investigations, so we had come around the table and sat in silence with bowls of cold vegetable soup in front of us. Shauna had worked hard on the meal, though, so I had tried it. Zeke from the other group had made a comment on it, to which Shauna smiled and blushed in return. I glared at him until he looked away. Four had excused himself without eating anything and retired to one of the rooms upstairs, locking the door behind him. Uriah and Zeke took a room a little further down the hall, and Shauna and Lynn had stayed downstairs in the dusty sitting room alone to catch up. We left them to talk. Will and I had dismissed ourselves finally. He had begun walking up the stairs as I trailed behind him, stressed. I had grabbed his arm, stopping him. He had turned to look at me, "What?"

"You can't be serious," I had said incredulously. "You're letting them just walk in here and sleep beside us?" I asked. It was rhetorical.

"They're harmless," he dismissed me, beginning to walk up the stairs again.

"They are not," I argued. "They can't be. Not Four at least, and I'm skeptical about the other two, too. The brothers seem like they'd just follow whatever orders he throws at them."

He didn't respond. I stared at him, raising my eyebrows. A creek sounded right by my head where the landing was nest to me. Will looked over, but my hand flew to my holster. The lights were off and it was dark, the only source of light was the moonlight shining through the small circular window at the end of the hallway upstairs.

We waited for any movement or sounds again, but nothing came. He took this as an opportunity to take his arm away and start moving up the stairs again. I let him go, but continued behind him.

We took the room at the end of the hall by the landing, and I locked the door behind us.

"Uriah said there was a generator outside," Will told me, trying to get away from the conversation. "The sinks are supposed to work. You should go wash up. I'll go after you."

I was beginning to think that he didn't want to talk about his cousin anymore. He didn't think she was still alive. But that wasn't a reason to let her killers now kill us. "Will," I said with a humorless laugh. "You're not thinking straight. They probably killed her, maybe got rid of her in unorthodox ways. They might have made her suff-"

"Christina!" Will shouted. "Forget Tris! Forget her! She's gone and she's not coming back. We're getting to the city. This isn't a fucking rescue mission for her. She's not the focus; our destination is. Forget about Tris!" We remained silent for a few seconds. His eye twitched.

"I can't," I whispered. "She saved my life, Will. Your cousin saved my life when she could have left me for dead. I refuse to do that to her."

I pursed my lips and looked away. I walked to the bathroom without another word, closing the door and locking it behind me. I splashed my face like he had suggested, resting my hands on the counters, looking in the mirror. I spotted the tub behind me and squinted. I turned just my head for a better view. There was a small strip of fabric hanging limply on the tub's faucet. I went to inspect it, but found instead that it was stained of blood and was a bit frayed around one end. I heard a knock at the bedroom door; it opened. I moved to the bathroom door to listen. A female voice spoke, which I recognized to be Marlene's. She spoke to Will for a bit, but I didn't hear his voice at all throughout the exchange. She seemed to be dominating the conversation. I waited until the door closed again.

Then I unlocked the bathroom door loudly, announcing my presence without speaking. I walked out and stood by one of the bed's posts. Will was quiet, but then I heard the bathroom door close. I turned to find that he was gone. The faucet turned on inside.

I moved on to take off my belt and clothes, stripping to my underwear. I moved to one of the dressers, finding clothes belonging to a woman. I pulled out a pair of leggings and slipped into those. There didn't seem to be any tops to sleep in so I moved on to the room's closet, sliding open the doors. This was obviously a man's closet, but it was better than nothing. I grabbed a white button-down from a hangar and threw it on my shoulders, feeling its comfort. I decided it was only to sleep in, and began moving back to the bed. I began buttoning it up, looking down.

When I was finished, I looked up to find Will standing there in the doorway of the bathroom. I let my hands drop from the buttons. His chest was bare, which was a pleasant sight, and he must have taken a pair of sweatpants from the man's dresser, because he was wearing a pair and held his old jeans in his hand.

Until this point, we hadn't really spoken about the sleeping arrangements, but there seemed to be a mutual agreement. We'd sleep together, but only sleep. We could be platonic; it wasn't impossible.

So I moved to the bed and pulled back the sheets on my side. He followed and did the same. I crawled in and lie facing away from him. I kept my eyes open, but steadied my breath, still slightly thrown from what Will had said earlier. Except something told me Marlene had heard it all and come to talk about it with him. I wanted to thank her for something I couldn't do. Instead of comforting Will about Tris, I said I would try to help her. I guess in a way it had implied that he wouldn't, that he was doing nothing. And that must have been a blow.

I let my eyes close finally and stopped fidgeting. Thirty minutes might have passed without sleep coming to me and I heard Will speak behind me. "I'm sorry, Christina," he whispered, and I wondered if he had meant for me to hear it.

It didn't matter. I think the feeling was mutual. We were all sorry.

But it was too late for apologies.


	14. Chapter 14

**Vacant – Chapter 14**

 **Will POV**

I woke in the morning and felt the cold air on my bare shoulders. I opened my eyes and looked around the room, remaining in my lying position. The only light was dim and came from behind me. I finally moved my head to look at Christina next to me. Black curtains muted the dim light from the windows, and it illuminated Christina's silhouette. She was sitting up, with her legs over the edge of the mattress, her back to me. I shuffled the duvet around a bit noisily as I sat up to show that I was awake. She turned her head a bit to look at me, but never made eye contact.

I noticed that she was still wearing the leggings and white button-up from the closet. I licked my lips, ready to say something to her, but she beat me to it.

"We should get up, Will," she suggested. "We're got a long way to go, and we have to decide what we're doing with the others."

I nodded and realized she couldn't see me. I stood from the bed and walked around to the post, stopping.

"Yeah, and we should get Shauna to whip us up something to eat, huh?" I said. She let out a small exhale like a laugh, which made me smile. I walked over to the windows of the room, where the black curtains were closed. I peeked out one and looked around, gauging the light. I figured it wasn't too harsh; the trees around the mansion shielded most of it. So I drew the curtains to the sides and let the light fill the room. I crossed my arms and looked down over the yard. There was a wrought iron fence, creating a large perimeter. Everything was covered in fallen leaves, which were all soaked from the previous night's rain. I looked out to the edge of the woods and scanned the line of trees. There was no movement aside from a faint wind picking up and rustling loose leaves from the ground and picking them up into a small swirl.

I turned around and leaned back against the windowsill, arms still crossed. I wasn't as cold as I was when I went to sleep last night. It seemed the have warmed up outside, which would make for a great traveling day if we were all up to it. The city was a couple hundred miles away, and it would be easier to make the trip in this kind of weather. Christina seemed to be thinking the same thing. Although, she was always going to be sidetracked by thoughts of Tris. I wish I could be too, but I couldn't afford it; I had to put the group ahead of just one member, especially if she was dead, which was not only possible, but also probable. At least Caleb was too doped up to try to have a say in anything that was going on currently. It wasn't a good thing to wish on somebody, to have him too incapacitated to make a decision. But if he were awake and fully-functioning, he'd want to find Tris, too. And he'd find a goddamn reasonable argument for it.

"We should get everyone together for some food," I said to Christina on the bed. "And put together a plan for the day. And we need to build a bit of trust with the others if they're coming with us."

She looked up at me and scowled. "Who says they're coming with us?" she asked. "Can't it go to a vote amongst the others?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Look, Chris," I said, slightly disappointed. I had hoped that she would have become a bit more reasonable about the others if she got the chance to sleep on it. "We need them. We need those men and Lynn. Shauna's not leaving her sister, and if she goes, they both go, and we lose our only cook. And those guys, despite what they may or may not have done to Tris-"

"They hurt her," she cuts in.

I continue without stopping, "they can help us. They're fighters, and they can protect the group, which is a job we cant do on our own. Mar is a medical student, and Caleb is hurt. I can't defend the group by myself, and you've barely had any training at all." She didn't seem convinced. I moved across the room and sat on the bed next to her. I debated putting my arm around her, but did it anyway without much thought. She hesitated, but then leaned into me. "Besides, they know what she looks like," I said referring to Tris and trying to comfort Chris. "If they ever see her again, they'll know to help her back to us. Just consider it." I stood up from the bed and went to get dressed for the day, leaving Christina to think about it on the bed.

…

I left the room after getting dressed and moved to where Marlene and Caleb were supposed to be staying. Christina wasn't in the bedroom anymore when I came out of the bathroom, so she had probably gotten dressed and gone downstairs. There were voices coming from the floor below, so I figured the others were up and socializing, which was perfect if they were going to be I knocked on the door softly, but there was no answer. I pushed the door open slightly and peeked in. There was a body under the sheets of he bed, which I figured to be Caleb, but Marlene wasn't in the room. I stepped in and left the door open behind me. I moved quietly across the room, looking around. This was a smaller room than the others, probably meant as a guest or child's bedroom. The floor was carpeted with a soft white fabric and there were two nightstands beside the bed. There were medicines and bandages on one nightstand, and one the other was the belts and knives and weapons that belonged to Caleb and Marlene. The room was dark, so I let in some light by the window at the far wall. Caleb moved around a bit and pulled his head out from the sheets. He looked at me and breathed in.

"Where are we?" he asked, and I remembered how drugged he had been throughout the trip here. I told him we were in an abandoned house off of the highway, and he nodded. He turned his head again up towards the ceiling and sat up.

The door along the other wall opened and Marlene walked in from what looked like a bathroom. Her hair was wet, and her face looked refreshed, although she certainly lacked sleep. She was drying her hands on a rag when she looked up and saw me.

"Oh, I thought I heard your voice," she said. She then looked to Caleb lying on the bed, raising her eyebrows. "How are you feeling, Caleb?" she asked. From her expression of surprise, I figured he was making some kind of improvement.

I crossed my arms and turned to see his answer.

"Well," he hesitated. "I'm definitely feeling better, and I bet I can walk now." I nodded in approval and looked to Marlene. She opened her mouth to object, probably to insist that he rest, but she saw my expression. She was probably thinking about the others downstairs and how we might need Caleb for the manpower. I tilted my head in a gesture of questioning. She licked her lips and then nodded.

"Well, let's go ahead and try it, then," she agreed. She turned away and entered the bathroom again. She came back out without the rag and went to help Caleb out of the bed. He threw back the sheets on his own and scooted to the edge of the bed and let his legs fall over. His feet hit the carpet, and he pressed his toes into the fabric. I moved towards them again and took one of his arms; Marlene had the other. I thought he would have denied our help, putting his pride ahead of his healing, but he took it gracefully instead.

"Okay," Marlene said comfortingly. "Whenever you're ready, Caleb." He nodded and took a breath. He struggled at first, but eventually forced himself to stand. His grip on our arms tightened and Marlene winced. I took my other hand and held it to his back for support. I looked to his face and noticed his pain seemed to be clearing. His breathing stopped being labored and his blinking slowed. Color returned to his face. "You're doing really well, Caleb," I told him, and I smiled encouragingly. A shaky breath came out of his mouth as he uttered a sound of agreement. I looked around the room at Marlene, who was looking behind us at the open bedroom door. I followed her gaze to find Four standing in the doorway. The smile faded from my lips and I hardened my face.

"Can I see you out here, pipsqueak?" he asked, although it wasn't much of a question. I scowled at him and looked back to see Marlene staring at me, waiting for me to do something. I dropped my hands from Caleb when I was sure he didn't need them anymore and went to the door, resting a hand on Marlene's shoulder as I left. "Get him armed if he can handle it," I whispered to her on the down low so she was the only one who heard me. She nodded. I realized Christina's distrust of the others was getting to me, but it wasn't a bad idea for Caleb to have a weapon.

I left the room and entered the hallway, where I closed the door. The stairs smelled of warm winter. Either Shauna had found a way to heat up some food, or they had found a candle and lit it. It was cozy, and I hoped it gave a sense of home so the others would get used to each other.

I turned to Four, as I continued walking, forcing him to follow me. "I'm an inch shorter than you, Four," I said, indignant. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't find every chance to embarrass me in front of my people. Respect is crucial."

He laughed a bit mirthlessly. "Well, if my torment really influences the respect you get from your people, I doubt it's very strong."

At the end of the hall, another door opened from the inside and one of the brothers walked out, the older, taller one. He laughed at something that his brother had said, and the latter came out after him, closing the door and punching the older one in the stomach as he turned around. Zeke took Uriah into a headlock and they fought jokingly. He looked down at his brother, who lost his smile as he noticed Four and I watching them. Zeke finally looked up and made eye contact with Four. I looked at him, too. His lips were pinched and a vein stuck out of his neck.

"Go downstairs," he said simply. Zeke immediately let go of his brother and they both stood up straight. They were silent for a second before Uriah said to his brother, "I bet I can beat you downstairs." He punched his brother's gut before sliding down the banister. Zeke uttered a quick apology to Four before chasing after his brother.  
I shook my head, "Well, at least the respect between me and my people is mutual. I'd actually rather they not fear me." And was about to turn around the banister and walk downstairs when he grabbed my forearm, like Christina had done last night. I looked at him and squinted, then down at his hand on my arm. I looked back up at him and he quickly retracted his hand, more out of embarrassment than fear. "What?" I said coldly.

"Here," he said, holding out his closed fist face down. "I found this in my room last night. Seems like your girlfriend was there before me." I held out my open palm under his fist and he dropped something warm and metal into my hand. I looked at it closely, intrigued by what he had said. I was sure he was referring to Christina, but I wasn't sure what he was talking about specifically.

It was a silver locket in the shape of a heart, with the name _Christina_ engraved in cursive writing in the outside center. I opened it and found that it was empty, and my hopes dropped a bit. I had wished there would be something inside.

"That's her name, right?" he asked for clarification.

"Yeah," I said, absentmindedly. It was a pretty common name, so I figured it was a coincidence that there had been a necklace like this one in the house, miles and miles away from where we had picked up Christina.

"Great," he said, patting my shoulder condescendingly. He adjusted his belt that held his weapons and went in front of me down the stairs. I stood for a second, thinking about what to do with the necklace. Obviously, I'd be giving it to Christina, but I thought about when I should. Later, when we were on good terms again, or maybe give it as a peace offering to get us there.

I shrugged to myself and slipped it into the pocket of my jacket. I walked halfway down the stairs before I remembered Caleb and Marlene.

"Hey," I yelled up to them. "Need help, you two?" They were the last ones upstairs, so they knew I was talking to them.

"Nope," Mar yelled back in response. Her voice was close to the doorway. Then the two of them appeared around the corner and I saw that Marlene was barely touching him. "He's pretty much got it down." He smiled a bit.

"Great," I replied. "I can bring your food up, though, so you can rest." His head whipped up at the offer. He shook his head.

"No, Will," he said. "No, I can't do that. I'm fine, really. I'm coming down by myself." I looked to Marlene to see what she thought as his medical professional. She seemed to think about it a bit, but eventually nodded with a small shrug.

"Alright," I agreed. "Do it, then, but don't strain yourself."

He agreed and kept walking, Marlene trailing behind him. I finished walking down the stairs and finally got to the main foyer. There main room to my right was empty, although the windows were all uncovered and the light shone in. At the far end of the room, where the light couldn't touch, candles were lit to give the room a cozy feeling. I looked to my right and saw the open dining area. The others were all sitting in chairs that surrounded a large coffee table. I remembered the mess of a broken table that had been there last night. The girls must have moved it out of the way this morning and brought in the coffee table from the living room. It stood on an old trunk so it was higher, and they had taken the white tablecloth from the broken table and draped it over the makeshift table. There was a small bloodstain near the edge of the cloth, which everyone had naturally come away from. I figured they had thrown the broken wood outside somewhere since it was nowhere to be seen. I checked for attendance around the room.

Four was in the back of the room, looking out of the window. Christina was sitting by Lynn, and they were having a polite conversation, although it seemed to be stiff. Shauna sat on the other side of Chris, monitoring their conversation, making sure neither of them said anything they shouldn't. She held a ceramic mug to her lips and her eyes found me standing there. She dropped the mug to the table and finished her sip.

"Oh, Will," she said pleasantly. "Nice of you to join us. There's food in the kitchen. I found out the oven was run on gas, so I could heat up some oats from the pantry. And Lynn went out this morning to the generator to see if it was working. So it started up, but it only powers a few outlets; I guess others have burned out or something. I got a coffee machine to work, too." I looked at her and we had a moment of silent agreement.

We both knew what was happening; we were getting too comfortable here. It was starting to feel like a home, and we were already softening. If we stayed like this any longer, they might lose their will to get to the city. And we had been traveling the last few days, so they might become weaker and lose the ability to kill with efficiency. This worried me maybe more than it should, but it was a possibility. I looked to Christina to find that she was now staring at me. She seemed to be thinking the same thing, although she seemed a bit more determined than Shauna to not get cozy here.

Just then, Zeke came in from the kitchen, swinging the door open. "Hey Shauna," he said, and she turned her attention to him. "Where's the coffee? You said there was coffee, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah," Shauna responded. "It's on the floor, though, since it couldn't reach any of the working outlets and a counter at the same time." He nodded in thanks.

"Thanks, hon," he said, making her blush. He smiled wide, letting his white teeth show. Then he slipped back into the kitchen, where his brother probably already was.

"And the mugs are by the sink!" she shouted as an afterthought. Zeke yelled through the door in acknowledgement. I walked in after him to get some food for Marlene and Caleb for when they finally got down here.

When I opened the door, Uriah was lying on the floor, staring at the coffee machine as it poured a new batch. Zeke was against the counter where the sink was, looking at the different mugs. They both turned to look at me when I entered, staring at me in unison. They remained silent as they then looked at each other, and finally back to the coffee and mugs respectively. I swallowed as I moved to the stove, where the pot of oats was sitting, still warm but uncooking. I thought about getting bowls myself, but I thought about everything I had preached to Christina before; I had to gain their trust. We had to become friendly with each other.

"Zeke," I said, and they both looked at me. "Could you get me two bowls from wherever they are?" I asked, looking at him.

He hesitated, but then nodded. "Yeah," he said, stiffly, setting down the mug he had been examining. As he moved to open one of the cupboards behind me, he spoke and Uriah looked back to his coffee again.

"Will, right?" he asked my name.

"That's right," I confirmed, nodding. I grabbed a ladle from where it lay on the counter by the stove. I dipped it into the oats and began stirring.

"Will, well," he continued. "That Marlene girl out there, is she single? Available?" I stopped stirring and turned my head to look at Zeke. He was smirking at is brother, who was looking at him incredulously. "Asking for a friend," he said, snickering.

"Oh my God, Zeke," Uriah groaned and threw his head back. "Fuck right off." Zeke finally let out a real laugh this time, loud enough for the others to hear.

They didn't speak for a second. Zeke came to me and brought the two bowls with him. I took them from him with a small "Thanks", and he leaned against the stove beside me. The machine beeped, signaling the coffee. Uriah sat up and grabbed the glass coffee carafe from it and stood. He brought it over to where Zeke and I stood.

He started to pour the two mugs full.

I began to fill the two small bowls for Marlene and Caleb, and I figured Uriah would still want an answer.

"Well, Uriah," I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him look at me, but I remained measuring the oats. "Caleb and I are the only men in Mar's life, and she's not into either of us." This seemed to please him as an answer. I thought a bit too much for my liking. "And I'm not saying she'd definitely be into you. I mean, she's not entirely desperate." Zeke let out another laugh and punched his brother's shoulder. "All I'm saying is she's available. I don't know if she'd be into you."

I had an idea then. I handed the two bowls to him. He took them uncertainly. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Here's a chance to flirt," I told him, placing two spoons into the bowls. "Give these to her and Caleb. Introduce yourself." He turned and Zeke took this chance to give him a little shove out of the kitchen. He stumbled out, but righted himself quickly. Zeke smirked and crossed his arms, shaking his head. I took a few bites right out of the pot and replaced the lid again.

Then I went to pour myself some of the coffee. Zeke's laugh died off slowly until it was gone entirely. Then he looked at me as I sipped my coffee. He just stared.

"What do you want?" I asked finally. As he snapped from his self-induced trance, I realized he had been lost in thought and had stared at me by accident.

"Well," he started hesitantly. "Well, I was wondering about Shauna. If she was single." It wasn't a question, but he sure as hell phrased it like one.

"Did you guys seriously just come with us to steal our women?" I asked jokingly. He began defending himself, apologizing, but I stopped him.

"Kidding. I'm kidding," I said. "And to be honest, I'm not entirely sure. She's only been with us a short while, and I'm not sure about before the sickness. You might have to ask your friend Lynn about it. They're sisters, apparently." Zeke nodded and left, taking his coffee with him.

"Thanks anyway," he said to me. I smiled pleasantly.

…

Later in the day, the others had finished their meals and it was around three in the afternoon, we were all sitting around the house. Zeke and Lynn had taken Shauna out to look for a specific tree that she had insisted the homeowners must have owned, claiming they had its fruit and it wasn't store-bought. Four had gone off on his own into the RV, taking some things from the house and trading them with things from their own stash.

Marlene was upstairs looking after Caleb, and Uriah had followed, probably only because Mar was there. Christina and I were both outside on the front porch, sitting on the swinging bench. We hadn't spoken since this morning, but since then things had had time to cool down. And she was a sensible girl, so it wasn't a surprise when she had agreed to my offer to sit outside for a while.

The weather was nice for the day, and the breeze was light and pleasant. The sun shone down on the leaves, and there were no clouds in sight. This was unusual to have nice weather this late in the year, but after a storm like the one the previous night, of course the sky would have cleared up.

I was sitting towards the center of the bench and she sat close to me, bringing her legs up, letting me rock the both of us. She let her head rest on my chest, and I pulled my arm around her.

"You know," I began. "I'm thinking the others are definitely getting there. And you look like you're putting effort into it, so thank you." She laughed a little bit.

"Yeah," she said quietly. I was talking to Shauna and Lynn earlier about Tris, and it turns out I was wrong. I had kind of assumed it was one of the guys who had hurt Tris, like that Four guy," she continued. I noted that she was looking at Four by his RV as she said this.

"Except, then Shauna told me that he hadn't even been there when Tris and Caleb ran into them," she told me. I raised my eyebrows in interest. I didn't quite want to talk about Tris, but that was what she wanted to tell me about, so I listened. "Anyway, Lynn and Zeke had been the ones to find Tris and Caleb. And Lynn just attacked her. Just straight up attacked. I don't know why. And she just said it was 'self-defense.'" Chris said, putting air-quotes around "self-defense."

"Anyway, then she took Tris' head and threw it against the pavement or something, and then Caleb finally showed up, but Zeke shot him, which was like, totally unfair, right?" It was a rhetorical question, but I nodded for reassurance.

She went on and explained to me what happened to Tris from what would have been Lynn's point-of-view. I stopped listening around the part where they had taken her back to their farm. Instead I got out the locket from my pocket and let it pool in my hand. She started to get fired up about finding justice for Tris when I decided that was the right time. I let it untangle and fall in front of her face.

It swung back and forth and then finally slowed enough so she could focus on it. Then she shot up and snatched it from my hands. It was less graceful than I had hoped. I had planned that she would have gasped and thanked me endlessly, and then let me put it on her all romantic-like. And this was far from what I had expected. She held it in her hands now, and she stood, examining it. She opened it and turned it around. Then she looked back up at me, but her face was pale now, like she had seen a ghost. She held the chain in her fist and let the charm dangle slightly. "Where'd you get this?"

I stuttered and held out my open hands, thinking of an answer that wouldn't make me sound guilty. But then I realized that the truth wouldn't guilt me, so I went with that. "From the house," I told her. "It was in one of the rooms, so I figured I'd give it to you as a gift. I thought-"

"Tris was here," she said quietly, looking away from me. I stopped talking and stared at her. I finally stood, walking towards her. I tried to put my hands our to comfort her, but she shied away from me. I stopped.

"She was here, Will," she continued. "Tris was here. She had my necklace and she left it behind as a sign."

I shook my head in confusion, trying to understand what she was saying. "What the hell, Chris?" I said. "You're not making any sense."

She shook her head, too, but this was at me. "No, no," she insisted. "She was here. This necklace," – she held it up for me to see – "it's mine."

I nodded a bit condescendingly. "I know," I agreed. "I gave it to you."

She scowled at me, and I shrunk back slightly. "No," she argued. "No, I mean. It belongs to me. It's mine. My parents gave it to me years ago." My eyebrows furrowed. She continued, uninterrupted. "My mother had it when she… died. And Tris was there when she saved me. She must have taken it and kept it, because I sure as hell didn't."

We didn't speak for a minute because she was waiting for me to respond. When I didn't, she spoke again to break the silence and give her thought one final time for reinforcement.

"Will, Tris was here." And the afterthought was clear: we can't be that far behind her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Vacant – Chapter 15**

 **Tris POV**

I had spent the next hour gathering things for my trip to the small creek Al had told me about. I had a small white towel and a half bar of soap. Really, I was just looking forward to washing my hair, which had last been cleaned in the sink back at the house. I was bringing a pair of cleaner blue jeans and socks, with another tanktop to change into, but I'd keep the hunting jacket and my boots.

I was a bit nervous about going into the woods at this point because I hadn't been in these ones before, especially not a mile in. I wondered if there were bears or other predators in the trees, or anything that might attack me. I had asked Al's opinion if I should bring Zombie, but he had told me that there weren't many animals here in these woods. His brother had apparently wanted to hunt when he and his wife lived here, but there wasn't much of anything here to shoot. It was certainly the most assuring thing he could have told me at the time, so I left both Zombie and Al and went alone. I was soon very glad that I had because as I walked through the trees, I appreciated the solitude more than I ever could if either of them had accompanied me.

The foliage above me was thick, but not thick enough to block all of the sun's light. The light that did come through lit up the ground, which was currently covered in fallen leaves, left soaked from the night before. This worried me that everything was wet, considering the water in the creek would most likely be freezing cold and not at all enjoyable. Except Al had assured me that it was in a clearing that would be in plain view of the sun and left to dry and heat the water.

I had left the trailer about thirty minutes later and started into the trees. Of course, Al had offered to come with me and show me to the water, but I declined the offer. I needed a bit of time away from him after the stunt he had pulled just a short while ago. As I trekked through the trees with the bundle of different cloths under my arms, I had a thought: I was thinking that a lot lately, that I needed time away from him. And he hadn't even been that clingy really. It was just that anything he did came off as too much. I knew I had been forcing myself to be okay with the events that were currently unfolding, but it was becoming increasingly harder as I spent more time thinking about it. About us and the relationship that was trying so hard to bloom between us, despite being like a water lily in the desert.

I tripped on a particularly large root of a tree and stumbled forward a bit, letting out a small shriek. I threw out my arms to grab onto the tree nearest to me, causing me to drop the bundle on the ground, where it rolled a few feet away. Behind me, I heard a small snap of a branch. I whipped my head towards the sound, and my hands flew to my belt. I fumbled for the pistol while scanning the trees for movement and straining my ears to hear anything out of the ordinary. But nothing came. Nature was as it was supposed to be, quiet and peaceful. I waited a few more seconds before holstering my pistol and letting go of the tree again. I picked up the bundle of my things and looked around again before continuing on my way to the creek.

When I got there a few minutes later without another incident, I took in the place with a breath; it really was beautiful, and Al had really failed to truly capture its essence in full. The place was surrounded with trees that seemed like they could touch the sky, which could still be seen from here because it was in a clearing almost thirty yards across. The trees around the perimeter began to slope up quickly, creating an almost cliff at the far side of the clearing about twenty feet up. The side of the cliff was a gray stone that was clean for the most part, except at the base and on the left side, where it was covered with some greenery and vines. I looked to the stone wall and figured I could scale it for a couple of feet straight up until it became a bit less steep. I looked up further to the top of the cliff, but the sky caught my attention. It was blue and clear of anything clouds at all, which allowed the sun to shine down softly, shedding light an warmth across the fallen leaves. It was like something out of a fairytale compared to the way things had been lately. I kept walking towards the center of the clearing, where there was a natural structure of rocks and larger boulders. They stacked up to be about six feet tall at one point, and they wrapped around into an almost circular shape, falling from the six feet going into the ground, where there were no rocks, but rather they just began to bury themselves into the ground. The two parts of the rock circle didn't meet, but instead they became a sand-like dirt where that became like a ramp that led into the water. And the water was what caught my attention first. It wasn't all that clear, but it was still and beautiful in a way. I moved forward after scanning the trees one more time. I walked to the water and let my things fall again on the ground, which was actually dry considering the sun had been out. I knelt down to the water and let the tips of my fingers glide across the surface. As I brought them up, they water dripped from them and ripples glided across the clear water.

I stood again and looked around the trees, this was mainly to check for dimensions of the area. I slid the hunting jacket off my shoulders and let it fall, kicking it towards my other things. Then I faced back to the water and crossed my arms to my hips to pull my shirt over my head and strip. I slipped my pants off and threw them towards my things, too, but then took a towel and brought it closer to the edge of the water. I set it down on the rocks and walked into the water until it was up to my waist.

It was cool and smooth on my skin, which was a nice change from the harsh rain or the freezing water from the faucet of the house. I glided my hands over the water and walked a little further into the pool. The scene felt like one out of a dream. I let my hair down and pulled it over my shoulders on both sides.

A bird tweeted somewhere outside where the trees were and I turned only my head. It was a natural sound, not one that occurred out of panic or disruption. Still, I turned fully around to watch the trees for movement, something I wasn't entirely aware I was doing; it had just become instinct. My front turned to the trees, and my body exposed except for my breasts because of my hair, I started walking backwards in the water until I was almost entirely submerged. My nose and eyes remained above the water to see and breathe, but I soon let those fall under, too. I closed my eyes and allowed the water to envelope my entire being.

While under the water, I opened my eyes a bit and looked around; it wasn't that deep, maybe six feet. The water wasn't crystal clear, but I could still see maybe two feet in front of me. I looked down at my feet, but couldn't see them. I could feel them though as I buried them in the sand at the bottom of the pool. The ground was clean, free of any weeds or water plants. I ran my hands through my hair and pulled it away from my face before I went up for air.

When I did, I blinked a few times to get the water out of my face. I stood on my toes, which brought the water to just below my lips. I took this time to grab the bar of soap from the where I had left it and brought my hair back up to keep it away from my body as I cleaned it.

This took only a few minutes, but after I had finished, the sky had gotten darker. It wouldn't have been as noticeable if thunder hadn't sounded from miles away. It was far and the sky had been clear for most of the morning, so I wasn't very worried since there weren't very many clouds yet. But I still hurried with my hair.

I let it fall and got it wet again. I pulled the small jar of shampoo from my bag and unscrewed the lid. I scooped about a quarter of it out and began to spread it into my hair until it got foamy. After this, I went under again and ran my fingers through my hair a few times.

When I came back up, my eyes remained closed so I wouldn't get soap in them. It was quiet, and nothing had interrupted my time here yet, but the anxiety in me was setting in again. When the soap was entirely out of my hair, I started walking again to the edge of the water and climbed up to the ground where I quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body. I ran it over my hair, but didn't wrap that up yet. Instead I pulled out my change of clothes and gun and laid them all out. I checked the ammo of the pistol again and set it down. Then I threw on another tanktop and the hunting jacket. I stood and slipped on a new pair of underwear and dark wash jeans. I looked around again and stopped. As soon as I stopped, a branch snapped near the trees. I called out a weak "Hey." But the was no answer. Instead, I put on my boots quickly and grabbed the pistol. I left everything sitting there and jumped up; I decided to go after whatever had made the branches break. If there was someone out there, I could track him down and have Al pretend like there were others with us. Maybe this guy would join us. And if was an animal, well, I hadn't eaten fresh meat in a while. Either way, I knew it was living because when I stood, it had run from me, so it responded to movement.

I held my pistol at my side as I moved through the trees. They were thicker than they were the way I had come, so it must have been further. This also meant I was unfamiliar with the area. I sped up a bit after realizing he had had a bigger head start than I would have liked. I spent the next ten minutes looking through the trees and bushes of the woods looking for whatever ran away, looking down every minute or so to find any tracks, animal or human.

But there were none, and there was no more noise, either. I came out of my tracking stance and stood up straight. I tried to holster my pistol, but found that I had left it at the pond. I turned back around and began to return to the clearing and reached it in less time than it took me to get there in the first place, although I was just as vigilant. When I returned, I moved to my things quickly and grabbed everything together, donning my holster first. I remembered my hair and pulled it back into a braid to keep it out of my face while I returned to the trailer. At this point, about an hour after the sky had began to get darker, clouds had already moved in, and it looked like it was about it rain. I bundled everything together one last time and started heading back.

…

When I returned, Zombie met me right as I exited the woods, and I greeted him with a scratch on the head; he walked with me as I stepped up onto the pavement of the highway, but I told him to stay as I entered the actual trailer. Al was sitting inside on a couple of the crates, and some kind of book was in his hands. He looked up as soon as I stepped inside. He closed the book and set it next to him, standing up and smiling kindly. It was the kind of smile that made me regret rejecting any of his kindness. I let my things drop to the ground and went to hang the wet towel on the crates in stacks. As I did this, I told Al about the thing that fled from me at the pond.

"I just don't know, Al," I admitted. "I don't know what it was. But it was gone too quickly." He was nodding as I said this, and he leaned back against the far wall, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well," he said. "It was probably just a deer or something. You said you couldn't catch it?" I nodded in confirmation. "Yeah," he continued. "It must have sprinted off before you could chase it."

I started to believe him before remembering something he had said recently regarding these particular woods, but he had moved closer to me, so I stopped breathing and swallowed. I felt like something was stuck in my throat the way he came close. I felt as if his breath was right on my neck, and I thought I could hear my heartbeat, but that wasn't realistic. I hands clenched onto the towel in front of me, but it was too dark for him to see. I felt like I was suffocating, but he moved away quickly, before realizing how I had reacted to him. He began talking again, and I began breathing.

"We should cook something up outside before it starts raining," he suggested. I nodded and uttered a weak sound of agreement. I let him leave before I moved again. As he did, I let out a breath; something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was. Maybe the uneasiness was coming from the thing that had spooked me in the woods. Maybe it was just the peculiarity of Al's behavior; he seemed unusually eager to finish the night since he had spent barely a moment with me before trying to get us to eat. Usually he would be eager to talk with me, but now he seemed rushed.

I turned away from the doors of the trailer and walked to the crates where he had been sitting before. I felt around the area for moment, looking for the book he had been reading, which took a bit of feeling around because it was so dark. I finally found it and opened it to one of the pages that was bookmarked. It wasn't a novel or magazine like I had thought, but rather it seemed to be a journal of his, something in which he wrote down his thoughts and daily occurrences. I looked around for today's date, which was a few pages away, but I found it quickly. I read only a few sentences before I connected to where it was in his life.

The last few entries mentioned me; in fact they all seemed to be all about "her." I suppose he never did write my name, but I assumed it was about me. It went on about this girl who was "the one, the love of my life," he wrote. The later entries went on to explain the day they met when she held him at gunpoint, but he wrote about how he had been struck by her "disheveled beauty." He explained that he could have easily gotten out of the situation by pure force and strength, but he hadn't wanted to "break her" from his strength. "She was fragile," it mentioned. At this point, it had become seemingly-satirical because of the obvious outrageousness of the manner in which he wrote; it made him seem unstable, and I was almost finished reading it, but then I reached the entry of the day. This one was different, simply by looking at it. The handwriting had become quick and sloppy. It had lost the cursive tint and become more print. The writing was about the girl who had "the blondest hair and the bluest eyes." Al wrote about another man now, the one that I had partially made up, but not entirely. The man I had based off of the man who had been at the farm and looked at me with the dark blue eyes. Al wrote about the man I had pretended to be my boyfriend, someone he had never met, but from his writing, it seemed like they had been enemies from a childhood. Al was vowing revenge on this man here; he said he wanted to hurt him, but not in a physical way. He wrote about how he wanted to take me from him. "She's mine," the journal said on one of the last lines. "She's been mine from the moment I saw her. That man has no right taking her away from me. She's mine; I'll prove it tonight." At this point, I was in shock. I closed the journal and let it drop next to me. The breath that had returned to me only minutes before was now gone. I stood and tried to make sense of what I had just read.

Al had seemed so normal and stable the entire time I had been with him, but now that I knew the things that went through his head, I was wondering if this was some kind of cruel joke. But the more I thought about it, I knew it was real. He had been pushing and pushing the entire time we had spoken about my boyfriend or a relationship we might have someday together. He had completely disregarded any mixed feelings I might have had when we had kissed earlier. And he had lied when he had been pretending to be weak with me. The journal was right; he could take me with ease. He could kill me with his bare hands, something I had initially dismissed because of his attitude. He had seemed like such a nice guy. And this explained the weird feelings I had when he got so close. He wasn't being sweet, he was being possessive, something that wouldn't benefit either of us.

But now I knew his thoughts, and he didn't know I knew them. So maybe I had a bit of an upper hand.

It seemed like it would be a mistake to keep him waiting, so I wrapped up things in the trailer. I readjusted the pistol on my side and ducked under the upper door, which was closed and moved out of the trailer. I looked up to the sky and saw how dark it had gotten, partially because it was getting late, but the rain was about to hit, too. Cold had come with the dark, and I could now see my breath.

Al had already sat down and started working on a fire between the trailer and the trees, but still on the pavement. He had placed some fire wood on a piece of metal from the truck. There were too folding campfire chairs sitting next to each other on the far side of the fire, near the woods. I went and sat on the other side of the fire as far away from his as possible without seeming suspicious. He was squatting on the other side, feeding the fire. In the burning light, and in the light of what I had just learned, he looked like a monster. When he stood, I wish he hadn't; he towered over everything around him, and I wondered what I looked like to him. Zombie was lying near the chairs, but he got up and started towards me. He was tired, so he passed out again as soon as he lied down. Al looked at me and smiled.

I didn't try, fearing a smile would quiver on my face. For now, I needed to act normal, at least until he fell asleep. I would leave for the city in the morning. I didn't kid myself by pretending he wouldn't follow me, but at least that way I stood a chance. I stared into the fire and inhaled deeply. I wasn't sure what he was planning on doing, but I was trying to convince myself he wouldn't hurt me. He wanted to love me, and I wanted to believe that, but it was hard.

Al began talking, but I couldn't listen without hearing what he had written in that journal that's all I could hear. I grabbed the camera from where it had been sitting on the ground a few feet away. I needed to relax, and looking through my pictures sounded therapeutic. I was scrolling until Al stopped talking. When he did, I found out why after a few more seconds of scrolling. I looked up at him and back down at the camera's screen.

They were photos of me, but I hadn't been the photographer. They were of me in the pond Al had told me about. I was bare and exposed, and Al had captured for some sick reason. I looked back up at him before continuing to scroll. He didn't speak for another moment until I was done. I looked from one photo to another, and it was like a video. I was looking away from the camera, back facing it. My hair was down my back, but then the next one showed me pulling it over my shoulders. And the one after that was when it covered my breasts. As I neared the end of the roll, my head was in the process of turning and facing the camera until it was entirely frontal. Al had photographed as I had walked backwards into the water and submerged myself. The photos became sparse and further apart, but he had shot me with the soap in my hands and me washing my hair.

I finally ended the roll and the message popped up notifying me.

I stood from where I had sat on the ground, but dropped the camera gently. Al tried to walk towards me, but I stopped him with a hand.

"Don't," I said. I was terrified of what he could potentially do to me, but I refused to show it.

"I can explain," Al insisted. "You're mine." I had a sharp intake of breath when he said this. It felt like he was slowly slipping from being civilized and thoughtful to wherever he went when he would write those things. "You're mine," he repeated. "And I can prove it. I can be more of a man than any boyfriend of yours. I can protect you."

"No," I refused. I stepped away from him and began towards the four-wheeler. I wasn't expecting to leave tonight, but I wanted him to. I started taking his things out of the seat of the vehicle and clearing a spot for him to leave. But he stopped me with something more terrifying than a hand.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he threatened. I swallowed and flared my nostrils. Something about this was infuriating, but I knew I couldn't be angry if he was about to kill me. The tone in which he uttered the threat was worse than anything he could have done to me. I didn't hear him, but suddenly he was behind me. He breathed down my neck, and I could smell alcohol on him breath, which added to the terror, knowing he wasn't in control of himself as much as he could have been. He brought a hand up, and I felt it rest on my stomach, trying to creep up my shirt. I would have moved for the pistol on my hip, but his other hand had a knife and was nearing my shoulder, trying to slip the hunting jacket off of me. I rolled my neck away from the blade, but I shivered, which caused him to laugh.

"Don't," I said again, this time it was more of a pleading whimper. Zombie seemed to find my discomfort in the situation and picked her head up. She got up and walked towards me. She seemed to spot the knife. Al kissed my neck.

But at that particular moment, Zombie made the connection and barked. I felt a sharp pain in my neck, unsure of if it was Al's teeth on accident or the knife he had held there. Either way, I took this opportunity to twist away from his grip and fumble away, losing my hunting jacket in the process. Zombie barked again, and Al swore at her. I tripped away from them, but I turned back to see him kick Zombie. She fell away, whimpering. I shouted her name, but he proceeded to lure over me.

"Fucking bitches," he said. "The both of you." I turned on my side to free my pistol, but when I brought it up to fire, Al knocked it out of my grip. I screeched and tried to scoot away from him, but he bent down and grabbed my hair. He brought me up, but then smashed my head against the pavement below. He did this twice, and I was nearing unconsciousness. Blood was entering my vision now, and I was fighting to stay awake, fearing being killed and Turning. I started scratching at Al, but I was so out of it that I could barely tell if I was hitting my target. Apparently, I did at least once because he dropped me and I landed harshly on the ground and rolled over a few times, coughing to get my breath back. Al screamed shortly and grunted. I looked back to see him covering his face with a hand, but his other eye was exposed and stared me down like the devil. I scrambled up and tried running away. I could hear him yell behind me, so I tried to think quickly what I could do without my pistol to stall him.

I moved around and spotted the fire between us. I ran towards it, but my vision was tipping me and spinning me. Still, I managed to grab the metal piece that was the fire's base. I had it with my hands, but since it was metal, it was incredibly hot. I screamed again and let it fall down. But I caught it under one of my feet. Fortunately, it was light, and I managed to kick the entire platform up and out and towards where Al ran, bounding towards me. It hit him straight on, and it must have burned him, but he pushed it off as quick as he could. From there, I turned and didn't watch the rest of it play out. I turned and sprinted into the trees.

 **Four POV**

Will had entrusted Zeke with driving their RV. He had tried explaining their predicament to me, but it required some background knowledge and had been difficult to follow along. Apparently, their girl Tris had taken a necklace from their other girl, Christina when they had met, but no one had known this at the time. And then they had found the necklace here at the mansion, meaning that she had somehow been here before.

In my opinion, this was a stretch. I was thinking Christina was getting desperate now, but I wasn't quite in the position to say this out loud.

Somewhere in her logic, she had thought, and convinced Will of the same thing, that it was a good idea to leave _right now_. So that was what we were doing. A few of us, no need naming them, were in the RV. The others were in the truck following. The plan, well, there was no plan. But if I had asked Will, he would have said that the plan was to drive for a few miles, looking for any sign of Tris. If it got too dark, and there were no signs, we would stop and rest for the night, assuming she would be doing the same. So Zeke was driving and I was standing behind him. His eyes were on the road, but I was looking at him, talking about this girl Tris.

Zeke had gathered from the other squad that Tris was younger than I was only by two years. She and her brother were close, but she and Will were closer. Zeke explained to me the relationship of her and Chris, but he hadn't quite grasped the latter's need for reunion with the former.

"I don't know really what she wants from Tris," Zeke explained. "Marlene said they had only met a few weeks ago, but Tris had saved her life. Afterwards, she hadn't much spoken to her or even thanked her, I guess. That's probably why she feels so strongly about it," Zeke continued to speculate.

"Alright, but-" I was cut off by Zeke's sudden honk and even more sudden break on the RV. I stumbled forward but quickly caught myself. I swore at Zeke, and he apologized, but he just pointed forward and squinted.

In front of us was a tipped over eighteen-wheeler and the remnants of a campfire. "Come on," I said to Zeke. I grabbed my rifle and holstered a set of knives. This seemed like a sign Will and Chris were looking for.

I opened the door as Zeke took the keys out of the ignition. I stepped down and Shauna and Lynn came from the back room to ask what was going on. Zeke simply motioned for them to follow me. When my feet hit the pavement, Will and Chris came from behind us where the van was parked. Marlene and Caleb were still in the back, I assumed. "This was you're looking for?" I asked. Neither of them answered me, but rather them continued running to where the campsite was, if you could call it that.

I followed them, but I didn't run. I was busy scanning the trees and the grassy medium for anything that shouldn't have been there. When I finally reached the site, it looked like a crime scene; Will was leaning over something on the ground. It was making noise, but it wasn't human nor formerly human. It sounded like an animal. He told Shauna, who was even further behind me, to get Marlene for medical assistance. Christina was on the other side of where the fire seemed to have been. She was squatting near what looked like a pool of blood. She wasn't touching it, but just staring at it, waiting for the blood to give her answers. I continued to look around for a way to help. Here, away from everything else was something a little reflective on the road. I walked towards it and picked it up, examining it. It was a camera, which held lots of potential to be helpful. I turned it on and switched it to gallery mode to see if there was anything that could lead us to what happened here. The first photo that came up was of a dog, dated only a few days ago. It was some kind of a German Sheppard. The next was of a blonde girl, vaguely familiar. I was almost certain it was Tris, but I had only ever glimpsed her. I continued scrolling before I got around to something I realized shouldn't be on the camera roll. It was the same girl, but she was nude and in some kind of outside springs. If it happened to be Tris, this wasn't something her family needed to see. She was supposed to be alone, but the photos showed that she hadn't been. Someone had been there creeping on her, like a predator. I quickly deleted these photos before calling Will over for confirmation.

"Will," I said simply. "This your girl?" I asked. He stood from the animal on the ground, which I figured to be the same dog from the camera roll. He took the camera from me, looking at the small screen. His face hardened here, and he nodded.

"Chris," he said to get the other girl's attention. "She was here." He took the camera from me and threw it to her. As soon as she looked at the screen a scream came from the trees. It echoed a few times, meaning it was far away. Marlene looked up from the whimpering dog, and everyone in the area looked into the woods from where the scream had come. I spoke first, assuming what Will and Christina would do.

"Chris, you go to the right," I said. "Will, through the middle. And I'll go to the left. Move out. Get her back alive." The two of them started into the woods. It was dark, and I was almost concerned if they could see, but I figured they'd be fine if the adrenaline was there. I turned back to Marlene. She of course would stay, but I had to direct the others through her.

"When Zeke and Uriah show up, tell them to go between the areas where the three of us did," I told her. She nodded. "Shauna and Lynn need to bring the vehicles up closer and honk every minute or so to help bring us back." I didn't wait any longer before I turned back to the trees and sprinted in. It was dark, yes, and it was cold, too, but it didn't matter. I felt like I owed it to Tris, to this girl I knew only by association.

But it was my fault, too, by association. If we hadn't taken her, she would have stayed with her group, safe and away from us. She wouldn't be hurt or in danger. I sprinted through the trees and pulled my rifle out and turned the safety off. I pulled it up to my shoulder and stopped running. I slowed to a walk and squinted into the dark. I had lost the sound I was supposed to be following. I whistled, listening for a reply, but none came. Instead, I heard a shout of Tris's name from Will coming from far away. Chris, even further away, replied with another shout of her name. I couldn't tell if it was in response to them, but another scream came from nearer to me than either Will or Chris's voices. Another voice entered the conversation, although it wasn't anyone from either of our peoples.

It was incoherent at first, but as I focused on it, I made it out to be, "You bitch!" I pieced a few things together, figuring this man had been traveling with Tris and had been the one to take the photos of her. He had been the one to make her bleed on the pavement, and he had probably thrown the firewood. Tris screamed again, closer this time, and I began sprinting again. It was only a minute or two before I had come to a clearing in the trees where almost nothing was. The light of the moon gave some ease to the straining of my eyes. In front of me only by a few yards was a structure of rocks, nearly eight feet high.

A small girl, Tris I assumed from the way the moonlight reflected off of her hair, was in the middle of the rocks. She was facing out from the rocks, towards the man that towered over her. Her face was covered in blood, I couldn't tell whose, and the emotion on it was pure terror. Even from far away, her eyes reflected and shown tears. She was entirely helpless. This man brought his hand up and struck Tris. She let out a shriek, but it was quickly muffled when he took her by the hair and brought her down into the water. She squirmed and fought, but it was useless. At this point, on my right, Zeke had burst through the trees, breathing hard and looking around. He looked to me, but I had already brought my rifle up and focused on the back of the man holding Tris under the water. It was a large target, to be honest. There wasn't a chance I could miss. But there was a chance I could hit Tris, too.

I closed my left eye and took in a breath. As I let it out, I fired two shots. They both hit their intended targets. The man fell forwards into the water with a splash. And this would have been a good thing; only now Tris was trapped under his weight underwater.

I dropped my rifle and told Zeke to yell for the others and guide them here. I sprinted forward to Tris. She had since stopped flailing, which worried me enough to get me to sprint faster. I bounded into the water, ignoring the icy temperature. I pushed the man off of Tris and grabbed her underarms to get her above the water. After I did this, I moved down and grabbed her waist for more ease. She was silent, which worried me. She couldn't have drowned that quickly. I dragged her up from the water and finally let her fall down on the ground. I fell next to her and got into the position to begin CPR, but as soon as I did this, she began coughing up water. Instead, I helped her roll onto her side and cough it out.

"There you go," I cooed comfortingly. "Get it out of your system." I held her hair back as she proceeded to cough. I heard more than saw the three others approach the two of us. Will and Chris ran up to us, Will falling to her knees and taking my spot holding Tris's hair, maybe it was a girl thing, but I let her do it. Will came up in front of her, looking at her, trying to get her to talk, but it was no use; she couldn't.

So Will stood and looked at me. The look on his face was unclear; I couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling, and when he advanced, I felt like I was on the defense. But instead he embraced me. It was short and manly, but I knew what he meant by it. It was a thank you for what I had done.

I didn't need to explain what had happened, really; Will was smart enough to for that much himself, but he moved to the man still. He moved into the water and grabbed the body by the shoulders, pulling him to the shore. He was dead for sure, but Will was still going to put a bullet in his head to ensure that he didn't Turn. I agreed with him on this, as would the majority of the groups.

Expect right when he broke the trigger discipline and moved to shoot, Tris made a noise of objection. She held up a hand and coughed once more before saying something that surprised all of us. In quite a hoarse voice, Tris spoke.

"Let the bastard Turn."


	16. Chapter 16

**Vacant – Chapter 16**

"Not that he will anyway," Tris continued, voice still hoarse from her elapsed time underwater. She coughed again and dropped her hand from the protest. Will looked at me as if asking if I understood what she was saying. Most of us here in the world at this point could recognize how cruel it was to let someone Turn, no matter how awful of a person they could have been. Even Tris, although I barely knew her, seemed like she'd be one of the most likely to know this. I looked back to Will and shrugged. At this, he let the pistol in his hand falter; he'd at least hear her out.

"What do you mean?" Will asked for clarification. Christina, who was still on her knees next to where Tris was lying, rubbed her back and gently pushed the hair out of her face. Tris pushed her away politely and sat up on her own. "I mean," she responded. "I don't think he'll turn, but I need to be sure."

"Tris," Christina said softly. "Everyone Turns; you know that. He's no different. Whatever he told you-"

Tris waved her off and tried to talk, but ended instead in another coughing fit. This lasted only a moment. "I'm not saying he's different, Christina," she said. "But I met, no, I knew his brother and his wife. They died, but they never Turned. Something in their blood might be different or something. Just give him a few hours."

We were all quiet for a second, wondering if this might be true. As far as any of us knew, Christina was right: everyone Turned when they died. But on the other hand, if Tris was right, and this guy's brother hadn't Turned, then that meant there was an immunity…and a chance of a cure. Will nodded in a kind of contemplative agreement. Meanwhile, Chris looked at him like he was crazy.

"No, no," Will said. "She's right, Christina. If that's true, then we could wait. There's not much else we have to do at the moment. There's no rush to get to the city." Tris nodded and thanked him, and Chris looked like she was about to argue, but she held her tongue instead, surprising us all.

Zeke and Will and I had figured the best way to keep the body from feral animals or the Turned would be to bring it up high. We decided to drag the corpse up onto the rocky structure surrounding the small pond. Zeke and I did most of the work, hauling and heaving, while Will spotted us from below. We dropped his weight a few times, but eventually got him up there securely. There wasn't much else we could do to protect the body but cover him. Reluctantly, Will shed his jacket from his shoulders and tossed it up to Zeke to drape over the dead man's face. After Zeke and I made it back down safely, Will and mentioned something about Marlene coming back in the morning after a few hours and check on him. Of course, someone would go with her in the case that he had Turned and was wandering around the woods.  
Zeke looked to me and nodded in the direction of the trees. I announced to the others that we should start heading back to the road. There was no argument, but rather we were all puzzled as to how to get back. Tris might have known, but when Christina helped her to her feet, she almost fell to the ground in disorientation. This was the first time that I noticed the blood trickling down her face. I remembered the pool of blood on the pavement back on the road where Christina had been investigating. It had been pretty expansive. I realized just how much blood Tris must have lost. Surely, she would have a concussion, although we'd have to have Marlene check it out for an official diagnosis.

Just when Christina caught her and steadied Tris upright, I came forward to help carry her. "I've got her, Christina," I said. She seemed to consider our history and looked to Tris to see if she cared, but the latter seemed to be too out of it to notice it was me. And Will called Christina over to him to talk, so she gave up and let me have Tris. Zeke came over on the other side to help with Tris's weight, although it really wasn't that much.

A honk came from the distance through the trees, and Will and Christina looked out. They seemed worried, like something was wrong with the others or something had happened, but I quickly explained to them what I had told Marlene for Shauna to do if we were too long.

"Then we'd better hurry, huh?" Will said. "Don't want her giving away our position to the entire neighborhood." Zeke and Tris and I took the lead, with Will and Chris following close behind us. I wondered if Will had been trying to be funny when he mentioned the "neighborhood" or if he had said it out of habit. Zeke and I were silent, but the others held a steady, quiet conversation behind us, discussing something in hushed voices, which made me wonder if they were talking about us. I didn't let it get to me, but instead I began thinking about what Tris would do or say when she was competent enough to do either. I worried if she wouldn't remember me, and that I was just some other guy in post-apocalyptic Illinois, or even worse, if she did remember me, and she hated me. I couldn't decide which one I preferred. If the latter was true, well, there wasn't much I could do about it. And if the former was true, then it didn't really matter because there was everyone else that she'd recognize and trust, and they would surely tell her the truth about what went down. Zeke and Lynn might have been directly at fault, but I was a part of them, which made me guilty by association.

A honk came again a few minutes later and another noise came from the left of us, on my side. A Hunter burst through a cluster of trees and fell forward. I backed away from it, defenseless with Tris on my shoulder. Zeke stumbled with us, but remained upright.

The Hunter had landed on its stomach, and tried vainly to get up. The trunks of the trees through which it had come were covered in the blood and rotted flesh of the Hunter, which caused me to look away. Instead, I looked down towards where it lay sprawled in the leaves. One of its eyes had been pierced through the socket with what looked like what once was the drive shift of a vehicle. One end of it had been broken off at an angle, sharpening it to a point. The other eye of the Hunter was clean, but not clear. It was a cloudy blue, which was a new experience for myself; I had never encountered a blind Hunter. I had supposed they weren't very common, since they had to have come from a blind human. I wondered as we stumbled back from it if its blindness could have been caused from the piercing of the other eye _after_ it had Turned. Either way, it wasn't a threat; Will came forward quickly and grabbed the back of its head with one hand and drove his serrated knife through it with the other hand. As soon as the knife slid through the skull, the Turned became limp and even more lifeless than before. The dead weight of the body, pulled down on Will's knife, but he twisted it so that the blood of the head worked as a lubricant and allowed for Will to free his knife and take a step back. Christina put a hand on his shoulder to straighten him out. He walked back to the dead Turned and bent down to clean off the blood from his blade. When he finished, he came back to Christina, and they took the lead in front of us. Zeke looked at me, but no words were exchanged. Instead, we readjusted Tris on our shoulders and followed behind the couple in front before they left us behind.

We arrived at the edge of the woods more quickly it seemed than it had taken for us to get to the clearing behind us, even though that time, we had been running through the trees with adrenaline pumping through our veins. Of course, this was probably in part because we had the sound of the car horn helping to guide us back. When Will and Christina stepped through the final dew trees, with us close behind, Uriah and Lynn stood from their positions on the ground and held up their weapons. They didn't falter until they saw Zeke and me behind them, and Zeke nodded for them to stand down. This wasn't particularly how I would have liked for them to react; I'd wished there would have been some amount of trust between the two groups now. But of course, I was wrong.

Uriah then saw his brother and rushed forward to clasp their hands together in a bro hug. Zeke looked to me, and I nodded for him to go. "I've got her," I said to him, and he let Tris's weight shift back to me. She was gaining a bit more consciousness of her surroundings now, so she was beginning to stand a bit on her own. Will spoke to Christina quickly, and she nodded, walking away towards the RV. Will then turned to speak to me. "Christina is going to get a few things set up in the RV to prepare Marlene to look at Tris's injuries; she's our first priority, understand?" he asked. I nodded and I did understand, truly. Tris came before anyone else at the moment, I recognized that. She was the reason they were all out here, risking their lives. And I couldn't tell if they blamed Zeke and Lynn and the rest of us for the states of Caleb and Tris. I certainly did.

So I let Will tell me what was going to happen, I allowed him that much.

"I'll get Mar; don't worry about that," he said. "I've got to talk to her anyway about the body on the rocks. You just get Tris to the RV, and help Christina get her onto the bed comfortably." I nodded again and let him leave.

I made my way across the cracked pavement under the light of the moon. Tris walked with me, and she shivered, which was when I finally realized how naked she was. I had on a heavy winter coat, while all she had on was a tanktop, which was all torn up, and tight jeans and boots, all of which were soaked from her trip into the freezing pond water. I held her closer.

When we got to the steps of the RV, I warned her about the stairs, and she made a sound of recognition. I helped her step up first and followed behind her, keeping a hand on her back the whole time. I walked her to the back room of the RV where the bed was, where Marlene would probably want her. Christina was there, on the right side of the bed, fluffing a pillow where Tris could lie down. And that she did after Christina had backed up. I slipped off my coat as an instinct and put it on Tris's upper body. The fur of the jacket, mixed with the warmth that was in it from my body had obviously warmed Tris, as she bundled into it. Christina glared at me, but let up after I stared right back. She dismissed me, and I found it was best not to argue.

So I left the room, and when I saw Marlene and Will rushing over from the tipped trailer across the highway, I stepped down the stairs and made way for them. I stood by the open door as Marlene went up first, and Will followed behind her, waiting for me to follow, but I shook my head, and he nodded in response. He closed the door behind him, and I heard as the latch locked.

…

 **Tris POV**

The voices that floated around sounded muted in the air. First there were two female voices, one sounded worried, and the other sounded questioning. Those two argued back and forth, more of a high-pitched bickering, until another voice entered the conversation and shut them both up with a sharp interruption. Then they were all silent for a few moments until I felt cold fingers on my neck as they pulled the hair away, and then came a dulling pressure on my skull. It wasn't very painful, but it caused quite the discomfort. I tried to move away from the touch of the girl, but I realized in vain that I couldn't. I felt paralyzed, and I began to panic. I tried flailing and screaming, but neither action seemed to elicit any reaction from the others in the room where I was. I felt trapped like a hostage, and I wondered where I actually was. I tried recalling any memories I had from the past events of the night.

I remembered discovering Al's secrets he had been holding from the day I had met him. The journal entered my thoughts, and I tried and succeeded in connecting the dots between the entries and what each of them had meant. Al hadn't been the good guy I had thought he had been; he hadn't wanted me to be with him, he just wanted me to belong to him. There had been something wrong with his mind at that point, but this wasn't the time to be all self-righteous.

I tried to find within my mind what had happened after that. I recalled walking out into the night where Al had been tending to a fire, and I had found the pictures on the camera. Things became fuzzy from there, but I knew at one point that he had finally snapped and attacked. He threw me, or I fell or something else, but I had landed hard on the pavement, which is really when everything became confusing.

I remembered I had run through the trees and I couldn't see anything, maybe it was because of the loss of blood, or maybe it was because the blood had come down and was obscuring my vision. Either way, I hadn't been able to see very well, and sometime between the initial attack and the flee into the woods, I had lost my vision entirely. I was stumbling blindly through the trees. I wasn't sure if during the flee if I had had a plan of where I was going, or if I was going to fight back if Al had found me, or if I was simply going to leave everything and begin again to journey to Chicago from the woods.

But some subconscious of mine had decided to escape to the pond where I had gone earlier in the day, which in hindsight I could see had been a mistake because Al had been there, too, and knew the layout just as well, if not better, than I did.

After my mind was caught up to that point in the story, I couldn't tell if I was making things up anymore because it genuinely seemed as if I had died and gone to hell because Al, and I recalled this strangely clearly, had thrown me again into the water of the pond after I had given up running and turned to fight him. Again, this was another bad decision, considering I had been quite roughed up from the branches that had scratched me on the run to the clearing. But when Al had thrown me into the water and held me under, I had felt like I was dying, which wasn't far from the truth. If felt like I was under the water for hours, and I was suffering every second of it. But then I felt Al's grip on my hair loosen, and I was free. And then, as if my subconscious had been waiting for the right time to make me suffer even more mentally, it had made up a hero to pull me from the water. And this wasn't just any hero, no. It had to be the blue-eyed boy from the farm. I wasn't sure if my mind was making this up and if this was just another boy from the area as there likely were, but I let the figure pull me from the water, surely saving my life. He had spoken to me, but there wasn't much time for that before a more familiar voice and face came into view. It was Christina who came and held my face in her hands. And then Will had appeared on the other side of me, but I couldn't turn my head enough to face him. It didn't matter; all I wanted was to look at the one who had saved me, partly because I thought it was the boy who had filled my thoughts ever since I had left him with only a cut on his face by which to remember me. I wanted to know if it was really him, I needed to know if it was really him.

But Christina didn't allow for that, all she wanted to know was if I was okay and what had happened, but then Will left my side, which concerned me. If he had finally found me, why would he be leaving now? So I tried pushing Christina away so my eyes could follow Will. And that was when most of the events had returned to me, and I remembered Al in the water only a few feet away. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was dead. The guy who had saved me had probably done that. It was hard though to muster up any remorse for him.

Instead, I looked where Will was heading, and watched as he dragged Al's body from the water and pulled the pistol from his belt. I knew what he was going to do before he did it, since I was the one who had initially established that we'd always kill and kill again before anyone Turned. It was cruel to allow them to Turn; we all knew that.

But the thought that he might have an immunity trumped all other pros of killing Al again. His brother had had it, and so had his wife, and if something was different in their blood, or their environment, then the same could have been said for Al. It was a stretch, but not too much of one. I had convinced them to wait a few hours in case he didn't turn, and it wasn't very hard.

I wasn't even sure if I had been making coherent sentences, but apparently, I had made enough sense to make them give it a try. Chris spoke to me while the guys had set him up, but what she was saying wasn't quite registering in my mind, which was scaring me. And when we were really leaving, Christina stood me up, and I fell almost immediately. She caught me, and another man came forward to help me, but he was doing almost all of the work. Then another pair of hands took my other side and helped me walk.

After this, I surely must have passed out either from my fatigue or my injuries or a mix of the two because the next thing I could find in my memories was what was happening currently.

The voices were mostly quiet now, and the pain was gone. I wondered how long it had taken me to go through those memories. I tried again to move my hands or feet, this time more calmly. My toes moved first, and then I twisted my ankles in circles together, which tired me out just doing that, so I stopped. After a few minutes, I moved my fingers and hands together and could feel the rough material that covered me. Finally, and maybe most importantly, I opened my eyes and stared straight up at the ceiling of the room that I was in. Nothing moved in reaction to my eyes, so I looked to the left and right as far as I could without moving my head. There was a lamp on one side of me, and an empty chair on the other side that stood next to a nightstand. It was weird because I remembered that nightstand, except when I had first saw it, there had been a knife on it, which had proven to be the knife that had saved my life and continued to do so for days after I had taken it.

That's right; this was the trailer that had held me captive that day I was taken from Caleb on the highway. So my memories hadn't failed me, I really was here with the man from the farm. And so there were others here, too. Will and Chris and…

I checked the room again for anyone inside with me, and when I was sure I was alone, I rolled over and crawled to the end of the bed. My feet were bare, but I had my jeans on and a heavy dark winter coat covered my upper body. I stood on the ground and felt the weight of the RV shift to adjust. I wondered if I was being watched, or if they could see the RV move. I stopped, and waited for someone to come bursting through the door and tell me to get back in bed, but after waiting a few minutes and no one coming, I continued. I rested my hand on the knob of the door, and began to slide it open… except it wouldn't budge. I tried again, but it refused to move an inch. I swallowed and stepped back.

They had locked me in.

Good fucking luck with that.

I backed up again and made my way back to the night stand and opened the drawer, looking for something sharp. There wasn't anything to help me escape, but instead I found the first aid kit that looked familiar. It was opened and some of the contents were spilled into the drawer. I looked at he name engraved inside the box, _Marlene._

I knew it. This was a sure sign. They were all here; meaning if he was alive, so was Caleb.

I backed up from the drawer and remembered the windows I had looked out of the last time I was in here. I turned and brought a hand up to the shades that covered it. I moved them out of the way. The light was brighter than I had thought it was going to be. Hours must have passed since the incident, but it couldn't have been days. I looked out longer and looked up to the sky to find the sun, but it was too high in the sky to see.

I moved to undo the window's latch, already regretting what I was about to do. I mean, I wasn't even wearing any shoes. But I continued anyway, and eventually got the window open. Cold air flew in and froze the room. I shivered, but proceeded to move forward. I hoisted myself up and considered getting back inside the warm bed and waiting for Will or Mar to show up, but knowing me, I also knew damn well that wasn't like me.

So I pulled myself up and above the window, letting my feet go out first. They slipped through smoothly, and the rest of my body followed through quickly. In one quick motion, I was out the window, and I landed hard on the paved highway, despite bending my knees. My feet stung from both the hard landing and the biting cold wind.

I looked to my left, which was clear, and then to my right, which wasn't very clear. A tall, thin man with dark skin and even darker hair stood there, weapon in his hands, and looking fierce, but he wasn't facing me. He looked as if he was circling the RV, and had just turned the corner. As soon as he surveyed the area in front of him, he was turning and I dropped to the ground and slid under the RV. I waited for a shout to come from him, letting the entire area know of their escaped prisoner, but nothing came.

Instead, I watched as his feet turned and he began turning and walking again towards where the open window was. I bit my lip and scrunched my eyebrows, waiting again for him to catch my mistakes. But he turned out to be one of the worst guards or one of the most lenient I had ever known, because he was silent. He made another lap around the RV as I watched in silence. Eventually, he walked away from the RV and returned to where Al and I had slept in the trailer, only yards away. I backed up on my stomach until I was free. I stood and looked around the corner, searching for anyone that was taking his place, but saw no one.

When I turned back to face forward, I wished I hadn't.

In front of me, not even ten feet, he stood. The blue-eyed man from the farm, from my thoughts, and more recently, from my dreams.

I had the weirdest reaction to seeing him, which was exactly the impulse to run up to him and jump into his arms and kiss him. That was the girl part of me, the damsel-in-distress, the part I had never wanted to play. But last night, when he really had been my knight-in-shining-armor, that impulse had never been so strong.

I waited for him to make a move, for him to pull up his rifle and shoot me, or at least for him to demand that I return to bed in the RV. But he did neither of these things. Instead he let his rifle fall to his side and he started walking towards me. I was confused, and then I thought he was going to fight me with his bare hands. But no, when he reached me, he took his hands, put them under my thighs and hoisted me up against the back of the RV and kissed me hard. I was confused, but I didn't fight him. I tangled my hands in his hair and let him kiss me. It was the weirdest thing, because I was enjoying myself. I was enjoying the kiss and his touch and his presence. It made me feel whole. After days of wondering this man's name, his history, his anything, I had finally found him, and if he was gonna kiss me, I sure as hell wasn't going to object.

When he finally broke the kiss, I backed my face away from him, and brought my hands down to his chest. I looked into his eyes, and couldn't stop. I looked between the two and almost became lost in them. That is, until I realized a peculiarity. There was a dash of light blue in his right eye, throwing me off, because the first time I saw those eyes, even from the few seconds I had seen them, I knew there was no way in hell I would ever forget them. And these eyes were not the same. I scrunched my eyes, and turned my head, looking between the eyes again. I waited for him to speak, and when he didn't I pushed him away from me, which caused him to drop me. I fell, and when I landed on the ground, it was no longer cold and hard. It was rough and warm. I was jolted back into the bed.

I opened my eyes.

 **Yooooooo! Sorry guys. I know everyone wanted a bit of Fourtris, but I can't write it in yet. I felt like the dream was an okay portal to give some pretend fluff. Some of you probably saw it coming, but I felt this was the perfect place to put that little excerpt in. Thank you all for the reads, you're all lovely, I'm sure!**

 **Zombie's health status is pending. I haven't decided anything for sure, but next chapter, it will be revealed!**

 **One last thing for anyone who reads any other Divergent fics, are there any really good ones you guys could recommend to me? Ones with good writing like mine, or at least a good plot line? I'd really appreciate it because I can't really look for any on my own time. Anyone can simply PM me a suggestion. Thank you!**

 **Xoxo**

 **Viv**


	17. Chapter 17

**Vacant – Chapter 17**

Marlene spoke first, but I only knew this because the voice was female and I could see her mouth moving to the words. Other than that, my mind couldn't make sense of her speech. Her voice sounded cloudy, but I could make out that she was asking me something from the questioning tone. I looked to her first, and she lit up at that. I searched the rest of the room, but found myself disappointed. Will was there, though, which helped my mental state of mind; he stood in the corner, arms crossed, and he seemed to have just stopped pacing. He brought a hand up from their previous position and began biting his nails.

"… be fine, but you should have been…"

I saw the blur of Will's figure move, and it looked like he was turning, but like I said, it was a blur. His mouth moved as well.

"…well, we couldn't…preoccupied with… you should talk to…"

I could only make out small bits of the conversation, but I could put most of it together. It was sounding like he blamed either himself or the stranger that had returned for me. Either way, he was completely ignoring the real perpetrator: Al.

Will walked over to the other side of the bed while Marlene continued speaking to him. He looked over to the window and moved the curtain aside. I had a feeling he wasn't listening to Mar either. Something caught his attention, as his vision moved sharply to some defined point outside the RV. He nodded his head and turned back around to Marlene. I closed my eyes again so in case they looked directly at me again, they wouldn't be able to tell I was been watching them. He spoke across the bed above me and told Marlene a small uneventful goodbye and excused himself, something about Caleb. Oh, how I hoped he was alright. It had been weeks maybe since I had last seen him. I hoped he was still alive and well if Will was willing to mention his name without any implication that something tragic had happened to him.

He left the room and slid the door shut behind him; I listened closely for the sound of a lock and was pleasantly surprised when no such sound came. When I was sure he was gone from the room, I pulled my left hand up from where it lay by my side and slid it to where Marlene was sitting, focused on something that was not me. I slid my hand across the sheets until I figured that she wasn't on the bed at all, but probably on a chair. I looked over and saw her focused on the nightstand beside the bed; a brown cardigan was draped across the back of the chair where she sat.

At that point, I croaked her name while sliding my hand off the bed. I opened my eyes and tried to turn my head just in time to see her gaze whip up from the journal on the nightstand where she had been writing. Shock shown on her face for a small time before she smiled. I noticed how she looked for the first time in weeks. She looked tired, but not as exhausted as the last time I had seen her. Her hair was tied back, but this time into two looser braids rather than the tight bun behind her head. Her lips were glossy and pink and soft-looking.

I looked back to her eyes and saw that the smile stretched there, too. Her green eyes were lit with contentment and joy from the sight of me. She did a small spin of the pen, clicked it, and set it down. She grabbed the sides of the chair and turned it so she faced me.

"G'morning," she said and leaned forward to brush the hair out of my face. It felt like she had put it into a braid, but a few strands were loose and framed my face. "How're you feeling, Tris?" She examined my face for a moment to watch my emotions.

"Thirsty," I croaked. We both laughed, and she sat back, relaxed. She grabbed the plastic bottle of water and unscrewed the cap. She leaned forward and put her free hand behind my neck for support as I leaned forward. After a few sips, I sat back again and she retracted her hand. She closed the bottle again and set it back on the nightstand. I asked her to help me up into a sitting position, and she did, before closing her hands in her lap. I pulled my braid the side.

"You just missed Will, unfortunately," she informed me. I decided to keep to myself that I had actually been waiting for him to leave. The truth was, I just didn't want to explain what had happened on the highway, especially with the man from the farm right here with us. If he was here, then probably so were his friends who had attacked us in the first place, and also the one I had hit in this very same RV. Apparently, some of this was present on my face because Marlene tried to address it. "But you weren't really wanting him, were you…?" she asked. I looked away, but looked directly back when I realized how guilty it would make me look. Fortunately, the water had helped with my ability to speak.

"No, no, it's not that," I argued. "I just… it's because…" I stalled for a response. And then one came to me, "How's Caleb?" I asked.

This seemed to clear her thoughts entirely on Will. She was jumping at the chance to try to reassure me. "Oh, he's just great, Tris," she said enthusiastically. "Will and Chris found him on the highway in really bad shape, like nearly bleeding out." Worry must have shown on my face because she rushed to continue. "But he's all better now. He slept for a long time, and I was worried he was comatose, because that would have been a disaster. But no, he was fine, and he tried to explain what happened, but we didn't have the full story; your side was missing, and his was fuzzy. He's recovering really well now, really."

My brows furrowed from her spiel. It seemed forced. "Marlene," I said slowly. "Is there something you're not telling me?" She looked to the side again away from me, like I had before.

"Well, it's just…" she hesitated. "He's having trouble getting his energy back. Like, he looks alright, like he really is healing really well, but he can't get up. I don't know if he lacks the energy or motivation, or maybe it hurts too much, but he won't get out of the van; he's been there for days. I think he needs actual medical care, like a hospital."

I let out a breath and closed my eyes. This news wasn't good. "I'm sorry, Tris," she said; she meant it, I could tell. "We got the bullet out, but bleeding might be internal." I nodded, but I really just wanted her to stop talking.

"Can I see him?" I asked, not really wanting her response. I'd see him no matter what she said.

"Whenever you feel like you're ready, Tris," she agreed. "But you should rest a bit more." I nodded, and she helped me back into a sleeping position.

…

Another day passed of us in the van and the RV. Will came to visit me once or twice, but Marlene spent most of her time in the RV with me or in the van with Caleb. I mostly slept, but sometimes I would ask for someone else. Christina came and laid with me for the longest time in silence, but words didn't need to be said. I had saved her life, and Marlene had explained how she had done the same for me. She was wearing a familiar necklace around her neck that displayed her name. She had found the necklace I had kept from her house, and she had figured it out. I hadn't meant to leave it behind at Al's brother's place, but I was glad I had. I apologized to her for keeping it at all; I really should have given it to her immediately after we were back at the camp. She brushed it off, and she explained that Will had tried to give it to her as a gift of his own. We laughed at that, and she left soon after because I was falling asleep again and couldn't hold a conversation.

When I woke again, I wasn't tired. I didn't feel too much pain, and I sat up with ease. I was alone in the back room. The curtains were drawn open and light shown into the room. It was the same day as Christina's visit, just a few hours later. I decided it was time to get up.

I pushed the blankets off of my legs and found that they were bare. Little blonde hairs were starting to grow back in and peppered my legs. I turned and let my feet fall to the carpeted floor. I was wearing socks still. I stood up and steadied myself. My old jeans were lying across the back of the chair where Marlene had been sitting before. I grabbed them and slipped them on, one leg at a time. I zipped and buttoned them before grabbing my boots from the end of the bed and lacing them. I was wearing just a bra and camisole, but now that I was out of the bed, I realized how cold it was. I remembered the Marlene's cardigan I had seen earlier on the chair, and luckily, it was still there. I grabbed it and slipped it on, wrapping it around my body. I moved to the door of the RV and slid it open. I looked around while closing it behind me. Christina was sitting in the booth, Will next to her, an arm hovering around her shoulders on the backrest.

Across from them, two of the guys from the farm sat. It looked like they were playing a card game. The first one, on the outside booth seat, across from Christina, was the one form the highway. He looked exactly the same, except now he was smiling a bit at something Will had said. His hands were folded on top of the table over a few cards spread out in a fan. The other, the one I had dreamt about and thought about since they night I had first seen him, he was sitting in the furthest seat from me, while still in the booth across from Will. He looked even better with the light on him now. Before, I had only seen him in the dark of the night at the farm, and as he chased behind me. And again, just a short while ago, the night they had come to my aid to rescue me from Al. His eyes were looking down at his cards, but I could see how blue they were from where I stood. A smile was on his face, and it was playful. Other than the smile, his face was hardened. He still looked beautiful despite the events of the past months.

Then Christina elbowed Will's ribs from what he had said, and they all laughed again. This time, the two from the farm looked up to them, but then their gazes immediately shifted to me when they saw me standing there. The one on the outside cleared his throat, and Christina turned around to look. Will was already partially facing my way, so he just turned his head. The surprise shown on his face was quickly replaced with what looked like rushed embarrassment as he picked himself up from where he sat and jumped around the booth behind Christina and into the aisle.

"Tris, hey," he said. "How are you feeling? Sorry, I didn't notice you. How long have you been standing there?" He moved towards me and put an arm around me, rubbing my shoulder.

I nodded. "I'm good, thanks, Will," I told him. "I'm feeling great. And I just woke up again." He nodded as well and walked me over to the booth. Chris scooted over so he could sit me down in her seat. The last time I had been in the RV, it had been much dustier and had smelled old. The smell was still there, but someone had come through and done what they could to clean up a bit. Some duct tape covered some of the tears in the faux leather of the booth seats. Tape also lined the windows, probably to help insulate the place.

Christina beside me picked up Will's old cards and gave them one look before throwing them at his face.

"Oh my God," she said. "I knew it was a bluff, you cheater."

Will threw his hands up to defend himself from Christina's attack. The two across from us laughed again and set their cards down. I smiled with them, but I was still looking at the blue-eyed one as long as I could without it being obvious. Will backed up from the table and leaned against the closet doors across from the booth, arms crossed against his chest, a familiar stance.

"Tris," he said, causing me to force my gaze away from the two guys and look to him instead. "I think you've met these, too, I think. Well, that's what they tell me, anyway."

I nodded and tried to hold my tongue, but a snarky remark was inevitable. "Yeah, this one in front of me," I gestured to him with my head, "shot Caleb, nearly killing him, I hear. And this other one," I looked to the other before I said this, and it hurt, "He tried to keep me, but when I ran, he chased me down all trigger-happy." The last part was a lie; he actually didn't fire a single shot at me, but I wouldn't put it past him. He probably didn't think of me like I thought of him. No doubt, if he had had a clear shot, he would have taken it.

They both looked like they were going to say something, but Will stopped them by speaking first, "Well, Mar assures me Caleb'll be fine, and Four here says he never planned to hurt you. None of them did. On the highway, Zeke was scared and the girl you saw – her name is Lynn, by the way – she had called for his help, and he panicked. He shot first." I was going to argue, but he put a hand up and continued. "Which might not have been the best way to handle things, but let's face it," he paused, and I squinted at him. "You and me would have done the exact same thing. And you wouldn't have missed." I looked at him for a while until I couldn't think of a valid argument. I swallowed and looked back to the two guys sitting across from me. Their names were Zeke and Four. Peculiar, but oddly fitting.

"Who are the others in your crew?" I asked them, looking between the two, and finally resting my eyes on Four, as he answered the question. From this, I figured he was more of the leader figure.

"It's just the four of us: me, Zeke, Uriah, the one who was in the RV with you before you ran off, and Lynn, the girl from the highway," he continued to inform me. "And I apologize for her actions, but as Will said, they were well-meaning."

Zeke then stepped in and added to the conversation, "Uriah and I are brothers, and as luck would have it, our girl Lynn and your friend Shauna are related as well. Sisters, in fact." My eyebrows went up in surprise, and I looked to Will for confirmation. He nodded. I remembered how we had found Shauna, covered in blood and reluctant to talk at all. Only one kind of trauma could do that much damage, and it was the death of your family. I could only imagine the things they might have gone through and how lucky they were to have found each other months later.

Then something hit me. Zombie.

"Shit," I exclaimed. "Where's Zombie?" I asked, standing. I realized quickly that they wouldn't know who Zombie was. "My dog. There was a dog, Will. A German Sheppard. Al attacked him before you guys found me. I left her behind when I ran. I–" Chris stopped me as she sat me down again.

"It's all good," she calmed me. "We found him, and he was badly hurt, but Marlene helped him. He's resting by himself in that tipped eighteen-wheeler nearby. He's tied up because we weren't sure if you knew him, and he tried snapping at Will once or twice, but he's fine."

I was going to ask more, but then the door of the RV opened and the structure dipped down as a person got on. There were actually two of them. It was Marlene and Uriah, who I remembered from when I had cut a week or so back. From here, there was barely a mark on his head. Marlene walked in front, and I could see the smile on his face and the giggle coming from her mouth. I looked down to see their hands locked together. They pulled apart quickly when they saw the five of us. I looked back up to their faces and saw the smiles gone. Uriah cleared his throat.

Their faces were flushed and red, but I couldn't distinguish if it was from the cold outdoors or the embarrassment from being seen like that. I looked around to the others around me, wondering if they had noticed their locked hands quickly enough, or if I was the only one. Zeke and Four had missed the entire ordeal, having been faced an inconvenient direction. Christina had been on the inside of the booth and had had her view blocked by Zeke.

Will was the only one who might have seen it, and it appeared as though he had, from the look of surprise on his face. It was gone quickly, though, so I couldn't gauge just why it was there.

I hoped dearly he wasn't upset about the two of them; even if they weren't a couple, they were certainly acting like it. If it upset Will, it showed he might have a bit of contempt for Zeke and Lynn. And Four.

It made me think of what he would think if he knew what I thought of Four. I wanted something for us, which was stupid, I know, but I couldn't help it. There was something about him that I wanted, but I wasn't sure what it was. And if Will were to think negatively of us being together…

I shook my head to stop thinking about it. I was getting ahead of myself. This was exactly what I was thinking when I had been with Al. It wasn't appropriate. In the world, there was no time for thoughts like that, let alone actions. And I couldn't believe I had been fantasizing again about him. I had no idea how he felt about me, but I knew for a fact, the feelings I had were not mutual. It was one thing when I thought I'd never see him again; I could think all I wanted with the reassurance that I'd never have the chance to do anything. But he _was_ here. He was right here in front of me, which made my thoughts much more dangerous.

So I stopped thinking about him. I wrapped my grip on my left hand around my right wrist and tightened it until the skin turned white.

I came back to the present, where Uriah seemed to be talking. To me. "…just taking Marlene to your brother. It's cold and windy and it's hard to hear if something's sneaking up on you. Shauna and Lynn are with him right now." Although he was talking to me, I knew the explanation was for everyone else's sake as well. He needed to act like he hadn't been flirting on Marlene. We all knew damn well she didn't need help, which was why none of us mentioned that the van was just twenty feet behind the RV.

I nodded after a few seconds because Uriah was looking at me like he was expecting a response. No one spoke for a few seconds again before I decided to say something, directed at no one in particular, "Can I see him?"

Marlene jumped in first, which I was relieved to hear, seeing as she was the most responsible for Caleb's recovery. "Of course," she said. "He's been asking for you, which is healthy. Maybe you'll speed up his recovery." I smiled at that, but I knew it was for my comfort more than anyone else's. She began taking off her parka. "Here, take my coat. I think Zeke can take you," she suggested. It looked like both Will and Zeke were going to object, probably because Caleb couldn't stand Zeke, but before they could, they most unlikely person stepped up.  
"I'll take her," Four said. "I've got a coat of my own, and it's no bother." Nearly everyone in the room stared at him, confused why he had volunteered. I was the only one who didn't; I could feel the red on my cheeks as they burned.

"You don't mind, right, Tris?" he asked. Something in the way he said my name was hypnotic. I would have agreed to walking into a Turned-infested pit if he had asked me to. I shook out of the fit quickly and managed a nod. I stood and donned Marlene's parka. Zeke got up to let Four leave, then sat back down. Will took his seat back next to Chris, and Marlene and Uriah stepped out of the way for me and Four to leave. As I passed, I looked for Marlene's eyes, and when I found them, I winked. She rolled her eyes and gave me a gentle push along. Chatter started up again as Four and I left, him in front.

He pulled out a knife and told me to wait behind him as he made sure we could exit safely. I knew he was taking the whole "escort" thing seriously, but in a way, it was sweet. As an unconscious smile formed on my face, I shook myself again, incredulous that I was actually thinking these things still. When he opened the door and stepped down, he made a few quick takes looking around the door and side of the RV before calling me down. I stepped down quickly, and the cold winter air whipped at my face, a bittersweet attack.

It stung, but it also helped me out of my trance brought on by Four's presence, the same effect a cold shower would have. He shut the door behind me, and we moved on quickly to the van. The front was facing us, but we could see as we got closer how the back doors swung open. I recognized her as Shauna stepped down, and she helped another girl down next before shutting the doors again. They both turned to watch us approach and met us a few feet from the van.

"Hey Tris," Shauna said, then nodded to my companion. "Four." He nodded back, and she turned back to me. "Lynn and I were just heading over to the dog over in the truck. Marlene said you might be going to check on Caleb, so we figured you guys might want to catch up alone."

I nodded and thanked her, all while staring at the other blonde girl. She was barely wearing any kind of coat, which was a stupid move, regardless of how tough she needed everyone to think she was.

"His name is Zombie," I told Shauna. "The dog. And he's a real sweetheart, too. He likes it especially when you touch his paws." Shauna nodded and stepped forward to me. She wrapped her arms around me, and I let her.

"I'm glad you're recovering so well," she whispered to me. She let me go, but remained holding me by my shoulders. "I'll see you later, all right?" She smiled.

I returned the favor and nodded.

They went on their way, and Four and I continued to the van. When we got to the doors, he grabbed the handle, but I stopped him by resting my hand on his. His hand was oddly warm. It was pleasant. The skin under mine was rough and male, something I hadn't enjoyed in a long time. The last time must have been back in high school.

"Could I do this alone, Four?" I asked. "You could stay up in the front? I'll come up and knock when I'm ready to leave. Please." I stared into his eyes for as long as was socially acceptable. His eyes darted back and forth between mine. I could tell he was deciding if this was a good idea or not. I mean, he was out here for my protection, and that was his responsibility. I stared and stared until he finally nodded. He let the handle go, and I opened it instead. He waited until I stepped up into the back before shutting the door behind me. I waited by the door until I could hear the footsteps up the side of the road until he opened the front of the van, got in, and closed the door behind him.

I finally turned to the lump lying in the middle of the van, under the dark blanket. I moved forward until I was close enough for him to hear my breathing over the wind outside. The light was off, but muscle memory remembered where the pullstring was. I grabbed it and tugged gently until the light bulb above illuminated the back. I moved forward, resting a hand on my brother's shoulder. I moved him a bit so he could see me when he woke.

I said his name twice. He didn't respond. I rested a hand on his cheek, which was cold, but I moved my hand down further until it rested on his neck. I checked calmly, but panic was starting to set in; his pulse was missing.

I said his name again. Twice.

Suddenly, his eyes opened. I let out a breath that might have been mistaken for a sob, but it was alright. He was alive. I hugged Caleb, and felt as his chest rose and fell. He had just been sleeping, and his heart rate had just been faint. I let out another sob. Finally I looked up from his chest to his face. I looked into his eyes, and my smile of relief disappeared.

They were clouded. They weren't his eyes.

Those eyes were the eyes of a Turned.


	18. Chapter 18

**Vacant – Chapter 18**

Caleb, or what used to be Caleb, blinked. Once. Twice. With each blink, my breath caught. I hadn't brought a weapon, reassured that Four would be there with one, so I was defenseless. It was difficult, but I forced my fingers to crawl towards where I had laid my pistol once upon a time. But all I could do was feel vainly against the caged wall of the van, where the weapons used to be. They were gone now, something I hadn't noticed when I had initially entered the van. I was on my knees, but as slowly as possible, I moved to my feet. Bad move.

Caleb's Turned form whipped its head to me, and I froze. I remembered they didn't work like that.

I launched myself forward to the partition, trying to open the sliding window so I could escape, but it was locked. From this side. I began beating on the partition, yelling for Four, while reaching for the snatch. From behind, It grabbed my wrist and yanked my hand away from the window. The touch sent shivers down my arm to the rest of my body. I had never felt anything so cold before, especially not from a human. I backed away from him so that I back was to the partition. He was tangled up in the blanket that had once covered him and was struggling to get free. I figured this was a safe way to get away from him. I looked to his left and right, debating which was the best way to get past him, but before I could decide, his head broke through the blanket and he spotted me.

I realized that his eyes were the worst parts of his change. They clouded as usual, but something else was happening to them as well. It looked like he was crying, but it wasn't tears. He was crying blood, or really, he was bleeding from the eyes. I felt like crying myself from the sight. But then his teeth bared and his head shook like he was having a seizure. Somewhere, an idea came to me. Before I could work out a plan, Caleb launched himself at me, but my leg came up like an instinct and I kicked at the lightbulb I had turned on only moments before. I brought the opposite arm up to protect my eyes as the bulb shattered and sparks flew. The light vanished, and we were thrust into darkness. Almost immediately, the light returned in the form of sparks and fire. Caleb reacted as expected, trying to shield himself from the sparks, which gave me the chance to escape, but as I moved to the other side of the van. I noticed as the wool blanket began catching fire from the sparks. The image in front of me was like a nightmare as I had just set my brother on fire as he writhed to get free, making the most terrifying noise from the pain. The raging fire brought a heat that could evenly contest with the cold of the outside. I backed up against the doors and stayed there for a few seconds. Smoke began filling the van and making a difference in the air quality. I considered opening the doors and getting myself out, but at the last minute, I started to grab at the blanket to help Caleb get free.

But then the doors of the van opened, both light and cold flooded the back of the van, battling the fire. I felt a hand on the back of the collar of the parka, and I was lifted out of the van. Except that's all there was. I was lifted out and then dropped on my ass on the cold pavement. I turned to my side, and rested my hands on the road, but quickly pulled them back as they stung from the cold. I quickly got back up when the initial shock of the ground wore off. I stumbled up and righted myself. I watched almost in slow motion as Four lifted his rifle up from his hip to his eyes so that he could see down the scope. I shrieked as fast as I could, trying to throw him off as I lunged at him before he could shoot. Caleb kept writhing in the flames, and somewhere in the distance I heard the sound of the RV door opening and shouts from yards away. Thumps on the ground sounded as feet ran towards us.

Four recovered quickly from the onslaught, taking his left arm away from where it would support the rifle and bringing it back up to defend himself. He said something, something about "it" needing to be done, but I didn't hear it; I didn't want to hear it. I screeched again and again for him to stop, beating on his arms, but he simply brushed it off. When he knew I was going at him, when it wasn't a surprise, it wasn't any use. I moved away from him, focused my attention elsewhere as I saw Will and Christina approaching, Zeke and Uriah close on their heels. Tears streamed down my face, and I cried to Will what was happening.

"He's going to kill Caleb," I said. "He's caught on fire; we need to put him out, please…" I begged and begged, but it was no use. I saw as Will subtly, quickly, looked over my shoulder to Four. I looked, too, to see what they'd say. But all Four did was nod. Somewhere, there was some communication that I couldn't pick up on, but between them, they seemed fluent. I looked back to Will, looked into his eyes so hard, searching for something that used to be my cousin, Caleb's cousin. He was killing him without a second thought.

Somewhere, in the far, far depths of my mind, I recognized that the thing in the van wasn't Caleb. No, my brother had died hours before, maybe minutes before I could reunite with him. I knew this, yet I didn't believe it. I had fought so hard, so persistently, to find him again. After I was taken, and I had spent so long away from him, wondering if he was even alive, if he had even made it out of the highway where we had been attacked. He had been my one motivation to get back here, to start back to Chicago. The only reason I had tried leaving the farm was to get back to Caleb, back to the highway because I thought somehow, he'd still be there, waiting on me.

But I had hope. I was given the hope from Marlene and Will and Zeke and Chris. They had given it so easily, so effortlessly, in hindsight, I couldn't believe I had believed it at all. But they had just filled me with false hope. They had given me the false hope that my brother was going to somehow pull through. And here Will was, our cousin, Caleb's cousin, giving the permission before Caleb would be gone, and handing it out like it was the okay for a kid to get ice cream from the ice cream truck. And that was when I realized, all too late, that Will had never believed he would make it. He knew from the beginning that the gunshot was fatal. But he had played along, agreeing with Marlene as she tried so hard to keep Caleb with them; she was the only one that had put any effort into his recovery. But he had patronized her like he had patronized me. Like he was right now. He had kept him with them just long enough to find me, so we could say our goodbyes.

But it didn't matter now. We were too late. Caleb hadn't been able to pull through. Somewhere, I recognized that Will had only ever loved the two of us. He had always done what he thought was best for us. He and Caleb had loved each other with something that was more than the normal bond between cousins. They were brothers, I realized. Will had tried so hard, so hard to do the right thing.

And so, when the rifle went off once, I flinched and closed my eyes tight. I felt the tears as they fell down my cheeks, freezing over the skin wherever they made contact from the icy air. I buried my head in Will's chest. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around me, cradling my head and petting down my hair. When the second shot rang out from Four's rifle, I involuntarily let out a sob, loud and animalistic. I felt myself crumble under Will, and I fell into a sitting position, not caring how cold the ground was through my jeans, not even feeling it. Will carried himself with me down to the pavement, until he was crouching.

It felt like the world was collapsing around me. Caleb and I had been the last of our family, after our parents. After they died when we were so young, I always knew death was a part of life, certain and unarguable. But when the disease broke out, taking our most of the world as we knew it, somehow I convinced myself we'd live forever, something everyone else now thought the opposite. By then, everyone came to the realization that death was inevitable, but I figured how small the chances were of the both of us making it out alive and well and fighting. I had believed we'd go on living forever, and we were invincible. Something like this had never even crossed my mind.

And now it was real and happening and as clear as the sound of bullets echoing in my head. Caleb had Turned, despite all odds, and now he was dead. Nothing else mattered.

…

Days passed of me alone in the back room with a cup of something or other. Old coffee heated up from the engine when we parked for brief amounts of time. Some tea Shauna made from wild leaves she had found along the trees. Zombie stayed with me on the bed, until she whined to be let out and Lynn would come and take her for a few minutes. I barely said a word to Will and stopped talking to Four altogether, although I hadn't started very much in the first place.

After Caleb was finally killed in the van, Lynn and Uriah had come to take out the fire in the back. It was quick, and something I couldn't watch. The van was primarily untouched, other than a little disfiguration on the platform and wall grates. Will and Four had come to the agreement to keep his body in the back and drive a little longer more until we found a more appropriate place to bury him than the side of the highway. It was more for my sake than anyone else's.

Sometime during my sulking, Will had brought me the bracelet Caleb had worn around his left wrist. It was like a friendship bracelet, reddish-brown rope-like material. It was a small pendant I had made him as a toddler, I remembered. I had thought he had lost it during the first few months of the outbreak, as I hadn't seen it, but I guess he had just never mentioned it. And I hadn't asked about it, either. Somehow, it had turned up again. Will said Lynn had found it before it burned. I made a mental note to thank her as I slid it onto my wrist.

Sometime afterward the entire thing, Zeke knocked on my door. I didn't keep him from letting himself in, but I did wonder why in the world he of all people would come and visit me in my depression.

Apparently, he had come to apologize. For Caleb's death. He felt at fault, and as he began the apology, I came to see how truly responsible he actually felt. He wasn't wrong, either. He had been the one to fire the initial shot that would be the death of my brother, and I agreed with him; he _was_ responsible.

But as the apology continued, I realized that he thought I blamed him, too. He wanted me to tell him I didn't. Or maybe he wanted me to yell at him, prove how right he was. Shout about how he had killed my brother. But I didn't. I thought about it hard, really considering it, but the simple fact was, I didn't blame him. Or Will, or even Four. I couldn't blame anyone at all. Zeke wasn't the one responsible, and I told him so, too. I told him it was the disease that had killed my brother, the virus.

And somehow, when I had said it aloud, it occurred to me that that was the only actual, practical reason of his death. It hadn't even come to me before, but when I said it to Zeke, and relief rushed across his features, I knew it was true. It wasn't Zeke's fault, not at all. Caleb had died because he had been shot, sure. Indirectly. But the disease had already gotten to him. It had weakened his immune system, so he couldn't fight the bullet and recover like he normally would have. Somehow, he was already dead. We all were. Anything that could prove to be a minor inconvenience in the world before could now be our deaths.

So I didn't blame Zeke for my brother's death. I couldn't. I told him this and dismissed him from the room. He left slowly, as if he wasn't sure, but I could tell he was relieved to go.

After he was gone, I forced myself to stop moping, which wasn't as difficult as I had thought it would have been. I got up from the bed, throwing the cover off. I actually stripped the entire bed and redid the sheets cleanly, so others could use it comfortably. I was done mourning. Zombie on the floor looking up at me, and cocked his head. Somewhere I had the idea that dogs felt what their owners felt, so right then, she'd be feeling resilience. Because I sure as hell was. I looked back to the nightstand when I finished with the bed. Marlene had come in on the daily making sure I had enough to eat and drink, taking care of me like she did everyone. There were two mugs on the stand, but she usually used one for maybe four uses before switching. So about eight or nine days had passed of me in bed. An entire week was gone. The others would be getting antsy about having Caleb buried.

I found a change of clothes Marlene had left for me to change into when I had decided to come out.

I took them and left my old ones folded on the corner of the bed, for whenever someone did laundry. I grabbed my boots and redid the laces, tightening them from the base up. Zombie jumped at my boots because she knew we'd be going outside. I moved from the back room to the rest of the RV, where I saw Four and Uriah sitting in the booth, Four facing me, and Uriah facing him. I saw Zeke's head up front, heading the RV's course, probably still to Chicago. We had made many long stops along the way, probably them trying to come up with a plan, but I knew they were stalling the arrival to Chicago. Still, moving every other day for nine days must be getting us close to the city.

I looked to Four, and he had looked up at the sound of the door, although it was faint. Uriah, who didn't seem to have very good hearing, looked up to continue his conversation with Four, but when he found him looking behind him at me, he turned as well. I moved forward to the booth, but he averted my eyes, knowing full well where I was going. Zombie followed behind me, and stopped when I stopped at the booth, lying down behind me. Four kept staring down at what looked like blueprints, or maybe a map of the city, but Uriah looked up at me, figuring it would be rude not to.

"Hi," I said quietly, almost timidly. Uriah mustered up a small greeting, but it was small and sweet like he wanted me or Four to do the talking. I realized we had barely spoken.

"I'd like a word with you, Four," I said, looking down, but then at Four. He looked up eventually, and nodded primly, curtly. He began rolling up the map and readjusting his seat, fidgeting. We then both looked at Uriah as he wasn't making any movement.

"Alone," I said to him. "If you don't mind, Uriah." His eyebrows shot up and he stuttered an apology, cursing his stupidity. He stumbled to slide out of the booth and give me his seat. I backed up so he had some room, but Zombie growled a low growl as he got closer. He stopped, but I called her off. She got up, moving out of the aisle. He slid past between us and started towards the front where his brother sat at the wheel.

When he was far enough away, I moved to take his seat. Four folded his hands in front of me, nervous but trying to hide it. He felt guilty, I knew, for what he had done to Caleb. Maybe he didn't blame himself, but he still thought I did, as far as I knew. I doubted Zeke had gone preaching to everybody about my newfound philosophy. I found myself staring at Four's folded hands, studying the scars and calluses. He eventually pulled them away from the table and rested them on his thighs so I couldn't stare. He then tried to slouch back to give off and aura of ease, but it wasn't genuine. He tried to spread out his legs under the table and take up more room, but his legs bumped mine, and when he realized I wasn't moving, he found the contact tacky and awkward, so he pulled back, finally speaking. "You wanted a word?" he tried to remind me. But I hadn't forgotten.

"Yes," I said. "With you. Alone. You don't mind, do you?" I asked, giving him a little time to respond with a shrug. "Well, alright then." I sucked in a breath and let it out again. "I wanted to tell you, Four, that I don't blame you. At all." I brought my hands up to the table and opened them face up to display my complete and utter honestly. "I don't blame you for killing my brother, if you can even call it that. I suppose he was already dead, arguably." He kind of squinted a bit, and nodded, unsure if I was taunting him before I actually began yelling and throwing blame. "I mean it, honestly. I don't blame you because you didn't kill him." I explained how the virus had killed Caleb, the disease had forced Four to do what he did.

I noticed, as color came to his face, that relief had come with it; he had thought I had blamed him. And maybe I had, in the events immediately following Caleb being shot. "I realize now that it had to be done, killing Caleb for the last time. I know that now," I admitted, looking down. I hadn't been wrong at the time, being as upset as I was, but my emotions had been misguided. "And I'm sorry for blaming you at the time. I was wrong." I waited a long time for him to speak, and when it seemed like he wasn't, I looked up.

When I did, he spoke. "Tris," he said, my name sounding like grace manifesting itself on his tongue, and I got a rush. "I'm sorry about what happened, I know how awful you must be feeling." I flash of anger shot through me and I thought about spitting at him how he had no idea, but I remembered that he must have had a family, too. Instead, I nodded. "And I can tell you, I regret it very much. I can't tell you how sorry I am what happened, when he was shot on the highway in the first place, and we took you to the farm. I am truly sorry about that. If we hadn't, Tris" – again, a rush – "I know you would have been able to at least say goodbye to him. I know that's something you'll never get back. And for that I'm sorry more than anything else." I nodded. He was right, sure, but I had convinced myself no one in particular was to blame, so I let that go, too.

We wrapped up quickly and I stood. He did as well, coming up to a height of 6'-something impressive. He put out his hand awkwardly for a handshake, maybe, but I decided in a burst of final acceptance of the past events, to pull him in for a hug. It was a bit awkward at first, our difference in height, but we managed for a few seconds, and pulled away finally. My hands rested on his wrists until I decided that was enough contact. I finally drew away and nodded. He did the same before looking away.

Uriah came back to our rescue with some more papers in his hands. He began speaking to Four, with an important voice, but I knew for a fact that he had seen the conversation and embrace, no doubt relaying it back to his brother as he drove. His voice was covering the interrogation that would eventually ensue. They took their seats again, and they seemed like they were expecting me to go back to the back room, but I couldn't make myself.

Instead, I moved forward towards the front of the RV. I had no intention of taking the wheel, but that was what I did anyway, after a short conversation with Zeke about the route and where we were heading. All he said really was to keep on Chris's trail. In front of the RV was a motorcycle treading along loudly along the highway, apparently leading the convoy. And so a bit awkwardly, Zeke was able to transfer the wheel to me. I sat comfortably in the seat, watching Christina as she drove the motorcycle effortlessly, something she must have perfected over the last week. I remembered when she hadn't even had sneakers to jump from her bedroom window. And now she was in front of nearly ten people, leading them fearlessly. She had developed so much in the past weeks, and I realized Caleb had, too.

The entire disease had changed him for the better. He was a fighter, and survivor, willing to do so much for the others in his life. He had fought through so much pain to make it back alive to me. I took a hand off of the wheel and rubbed my other wrist where I wore Caleb's bracelet. He had fought all the way to the end, which was more than anything he could have asked for.

 **~ Viv**

 **I truly, absolutely think this was a brilliant chapter. I felt like my writing, although short and contained, has improved a bit. This chapter in particular felt like it was worth the death. As they say, "Kill your darlings." It hurt very much to kill Caleb, but it was necessary for the development of Tris and Will and both of their relationships with Four. Thanks to everyone who is still reading. Any feedback is much appreciated on the story.**

 **(Also totally unrelated, my birthday is coming up July 29. I'll be 15! I'll try to update again before then.)**

 **Read and Review, lovely chocolates, if any of you all remember that small reference. Happy story reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

Vacant – Chapter 19

The same day I had come out of bed and made amends, I drove for the longest time behind Christina on the motorcycle. Sometime when it began to get dark outside, she pulled over on the side of the road, and the RV and the van fell into place behind her in slanted positions, forming a sort of triangle barricade; walls for protection. I put the RV in park and took the key out of the ignition. I leaned my head a bit forward, exhausted from staying awake so long, despite just sitting and driving. I rested my head there on the wheel for a few seconds before I felt a hand on the area between my neck and shoulder. I jerked my head up from the touch, and the hand retracted itself. I turned my head and saw as Uriah stood there, looking a bit sorry for touching me. I could tell he had meant it as a comforting gesture, but I just wasn't used to the contact. He tried to mutter an apology before his brother came up from behind and slapped his hand on Uriah's back. Apparently, he had watched the entire scene unfold and found it all quite funny. Zeke laughed it off, and provided Uriah with an out.

Zeke handed him a few blankets and pillows. "Come on," he said. "We're supposed to be out there helping with the fire. Shauna's supposed to be making some dinner tonight." At the mention of Shauna, Zeke's cheeks burned a light pink. But he was able to brush that off before his brother noticed, so he kept moving forward, dragging Uriah with him. The younger one kept trying for an apology before I nodded a bit and let him go. I watched as Zeke called for Zombie as well, and she trod down the steps with them.

As the three of them left, I realized Four must have still been there somewhere in the RV. It had been hours since I had last seen him, but I remembered we were on good terms, so I stood up to go get him for dinner. As I stood, my hands subconsciously went to my hair to pull it together.

I remembered there was a comb somewhere in the RV, so I moved around looking for it. I checked the booth first, moving some papers and maps around on the table to see if it had been brushed under them, but it wasn't there. One of the maps caught my eye; it was a birds'-eye-view of the layout of the city where we were going. There were so many buildings, more than I had realized. And they were so close together. The streets and alleys spanned less than a third of the entire city. Near the middle of the map, there was a suspicious lack of buildings before I saw that it was colored a light green, meaning it was a park or grassy expanse. I wanted to memorize the city, (I made a mental note to ask one of the guys later) as I figured it would be quite the advantage in case when we got there, something separated us. I flipped that map forward to look at the one under it, and I saw that it wasn't actually a map, but rather a blueprint or something. I cocked my head to one side, throwing ideas around before I finally understood that they were blueprints of underground tunnels and sewers of the city. I hoped to hell we wouldn't have to go there. Somewhere, I wondered how they had come across these, but I figured they had probably found them with the RV.

I stood up straighter from bending over the table and looked around for the comb again before spotting it across from the booth on the counter by the sink. I went to grab it and began brushing it through my hair, but my hand just rested in my hair and on my neck as I saw my reflection in the mirror on the wall in the indent by the sink. It had obviously been a long while since someone had made an effort to clean it, so it was covered in spotty green and white grime, which is probably why I hadn't noticed it before. There were some rust stains as well, still it caught my attention, and the longer I stared at it, the more I wanted to see my reflection. I turned and popped myself up onto the counter, bringing a leg up to sit facing it. I used the handle of the comb to scrape off a bit of the grime, but they turned into peeling strips, so I could begin peeling them one at a time before there was enough to make out my reflection. When I saw it, I knew it was me. Some part thought I'd be unrecognizable, but of course I could see me as I had been before. My hair was darker from not being in the sun as much, which made my eyes seem bluer. My skin was clear of any blemishes, but there were obvious streaks of dirt or grease or some other oily substance staining my cheeks and forehead. Above my right eyebrow, near my temple, there was a strong and deep gash where Al had hit me across the head. I noticed also there were some light purple bruises still littering my neck where he had held me. The other marks from the assault were mostly gone.

Simply at the thought of Four seeing me, I suddenly thought again to make myself prettier, subconsciously smearing the sleeve of the hunting jacket across my face a few times before the marks dulled in shininess. I knew it had been a long while since I had showered, and it was showing in my hair. I continued absently to comb through it as I thought about Four.

I remembered when he wasn't actually real enough for me to think about realistically. When I had been with Al, I had thought about him, sure, but in the way one would fantasize about a character in a romance novel. I was making up fictional situations where we were together and we were actually living a life, which wasn't just unbelievable because of the world in which we were living, but also because it wasn't realistic to think any way about him when I didn't even know him. I had made up these fantasies about him simply because I needed to; it was therapeutic. I mean, Al was a distraction from him, at least I had thought that originally. But I realized that as long as I was with Al, I had been thinking about Four, wishing he was there instead. I thought back at how often I would think about Four being with me. I was almost scared now to actually get to know him in case he was nothing like I had imagined.

I blew out a breath, which sent a few strands of my hair flying up. I tried thinking about him realistically, lying in the other room, sleeping. He was just a dude. That's all he was. And still I couldn't help wondering what he thought of me.

I shook my head and hopped back off the counter, adjusting how my jeans sat on my hips. Running my hands through my hair, I pulled it all up into a ponytail to mask the unwashed hair. I walked up to the door that led to the bed where Four was sleeping, knocking a few times before putting my ear up to it. It was faint, but I heard a light ruffling of the blankets. I took that as a sign he was awake. I slid the door open and walked in a bit. There was obviously no lighting, but small, soft streams of moonlight came through the window since the curtains were still to the side. As a result, the room was full of dark shapes and their shadowy counterparts. I looked from the window to the bed, where I saw Four lying still.

"Four," I said, just above a whisper. It wasn't my intention to keep my voice down; he needed to get up to eat. I repeated his name again, a bit louder, waiting for a response. None came.

I moved forward and sat on the bed before I realized I had even done it. I scooted a bit further away from his body to keep some class. I rested my hand on his shoulder, shaking it a bit, saying his name until he woke up. His body jerked with a start, from which he quickly recovered by relaxing his body and shoulders. The tension left but returned gradually when he saw me sitting there. I realized my hand was still on his shoulder. I pulled it away, muttering an apology, unsure whether it was for my hand or waking him with a start.

"Umm," I hesitated, trying to remember why I was there. "Oh, um, everyone is outside. Shauna's supposed to be making us a hot meal tonight. And I think Will was meaning to talk to you." The last part was a lie, but a white one; in fact, I'm sure Will actually _did_ want to talk to him about something or another. It was just something I could add to the conversation. I sat there for a long time waiting for him to respond. Eventually he did, with a weak "Okay."

I looked away for a second longer before I realized he would probably want me to leave him for a second so he could gather himself. I stood up suddenly, which caused his head to jerk to follow my eyes. I looked around the floor again. As of that moment, I was stalling, wanting him to make any kind of conversation. But I couldn't make an excuse any longer. I uttered a quick goodbye before turning and leaving, quite anticlimactically.

 **Four**

When Tris left, I wished she hadn't. Except, I was really the only one to blame. She had given me so many openings to speak, to carry on the conversation. I just hadn't taken any of them.

I pushed my head back onto the pillow and let the softness envelope me. It was weird, and slightly of a stalker-like nature, but I noticed that after nearly a week of Tris sleeping here, it smelled distinctly of her. I knew it wasn't right, but I found the scent comforting, like she was there next to me. It was difficult to admit, but I had actually been thinking about her for the longest time. Even before I had met her, Zeke had told me about her. And from his words, she sounded like some kind of dream of mine. He said she was about our age; short, but she had put up a fight. Blonde hair and blue eyes like Lynn, except blonder and bluer. He had failed to mention just how much of a fight she had in her, though, so before she had hit me over the head, I had been imagining this sweet little thing just caught up in this shitty world.

I imagined that she'd be reasonable and practical. I had thought she'd wait for an explanation before wanting to run away. I had imagined she would at least give us – me – a chance. Still, she had gone and escaped.

And here we were again. I didn't believe in anything as trivial as "fate" or "destiny", but I had to ask myself, what were the chances that we'd be brought back together again. It was as if God was real, and He was telling us we were supposed to be together. Then again, it wasn't like He had been concerned for us – or anybody else, for that matter – recently. After we had met again, I had begun wondering if there was even a chance for us. I mean, she had gone and forgiven me for her brother, something she had every right to not do. I figured it was for too soon to make any moves suggesting my real intentions, so as of the moment, I had to play it cool.

I remembered when she came in to wake me. She had mentioned Will, so I figured he wanted to see me. Nothing much in the world right then real scared me, nothing human really. But whenever I thought about Will, everything I had done to him indirectly, all the pain I was sure I had caused him… I was sure he could ruin my life. He held that kind of power, like myself, but among different people. He was like me, and that actually was something that intimidated me.

I snapped back out of it again and rolled away from the pillows, sliding my feet first off the bed and bending down to pull my boots to me. I found my old socks from the day before and slid them on. They had the unpleasant feel of dirty clothes, and I made a note to ask about the next time we had scheduled for a wash.

I tied my boots on and stood, finding my belt that was draped across the back of the chair beside the bed. Outside, I heard the collective shout of success as the window illuminated as a fire lit. I figured they were setting up the fire for food, and surely for heat as well. I moved to pull on a shirt, but found it was too sour to actually put on my body. I added a note of urgency when I asked about the wash. I looked around the room for another shirt of some kind. It took some searching, but eventually I found a sweater vest that was probably Zeke's or Uriah's. I winced before I remembered just how cold it was outside. I pulled it over my head, found it a bit tight, and figured it probably belonged to the latter.

Walking from the back room and sliding the door shut, I grabbed my actual overcoat from the booth and slid that on over it, zipping it up tight. I quickly made my way out to fire, which from a distance looked surreal. It was a dark night, stars peppering the darkness, and the only sources of light visible were the moon and the campfire. And it made one think about if the fire wasn't there. It would only be the moon, which was something to think about. If we weren't here – any of us – the Hunters wouldn't be, either. The world would move on as it always does, and there wouldn't be anything to keep it from doing so. Nature would take back over, and things would go back to the natural way of things.

But there was a fire. There were Hunters. And there was us. We were here, and it had seemed like we had all vowed we weren't leaving without a fight. It would take a hell of a long time before Nature was taking back over.

Zeke and Uriah noticed me first and pulled up a foldable chair for me. I shook my head, and when I got close enough, I said, "Not yet; I've got to speak with Will." They nodded and resumed a conversation that sounded a lot like and argument about Chicago. It was light-hearted, but I was sure the looming knowledge that we'd arrive soon still haunted them. No one was talking about it, but we really didn't have much of a plan for when we got to the city. We all figured there might be others or something there. At the very least, we'd find supplies. If that was all, we'd probably set out again to either the airport or back out to the west, although none of us were entirely sure.

I looked around for Will and spotted him sitting with Tris. They were both seated in folding chairs as well. Her hair had been pulled out of the ponytail to cover her ears, and it framed her face like curtains. She was leaning forward, elbows on her knees, staring blankly into the fire while Will was turned towards her, the firelight etching the concern on his face so it looked like stone. He seemed to be doing the most of the talking, or at least asking. She nodded a few times, so it looked like he was asking for confirmation. Eventually, she culminated and looked around, blowing warm air from her mouth into her hands. She spotted me, looked relieved and called me over with my name and a wave.

Others were sat around the fire, and suddenly I felt a slight worry for them. I noticed everyone had either a firearm or a blade lying either in the lap or on the pavement below. They were armed, but none of them were really present. They weren't on-guard. Something had changed in the last few weeks. We had all lost at least some of our vigilance, convinced we were safe. I figured I'd bring it up with Will. He could address it in a way that held some power. They'd all listen to him again. He could refresh their resolve for survival.

When I crossed the fire to reach Tris and Will, she stood and motioned for me to take her chair. I did, and she said a quick goodbye, claiming she'd be helping Lynn. I wasn't too sure they should have been too close, considering the events that had gone on between them, but lately, Tris had been on a roll with making amends.

"They'll just be hanging some tins cans on strings around the camp," he assured me. "They'll alert us if Turned show up. I think we'll stay here a day or two. It's been warmer these past couple days, and I think we all need some fresh air." It felt unsafe, but I nodded anyway. Will knew what he was doing. "And I'm not sure if she told you, but she's decided she'll be burying Caleb tomorrow morning. She says it's been long enough. We'll all try to be there." I nodded again. I figured that's what he wanted to tell me, but I wondered why Tris couldn't tell me that herself.

A part of me worried if she hadn't entirely forgiven me yet, but I brushed it off. And then the Turned Caleb reminded me of someone else.

"Hey Will?" I asked. He didn't turn his gaze away from the fire, but instead raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment. "What ever happened to Al?" I remembered he was being kept on top of the van, wrapped in a tarp, but I figured it had been quite a long time since I had killed him. He should have Turned by now. Will swallowed and looked sharply around the fire to see if anyone had heard me or was eavesdropping on the conversation. When he saw it was clear, he turned his head to me. "We kept him for a few days, waiting for him to Turn like all the others." He looked around again on the down-low. "But Tris was right. He didn't. He just died, like before the disease. I'm not sure why, but it must be something in his genes because Tris said his brother hadn't Turned, either. He had killed himself, but he hadn't Turned."

I nodded, but I was struggling to grasp what Will was telling me. All this time, people were Turning left and right. To die meant to Turn. It came with being human. We would all Turn at one point or another. Some took longer than others, maybe not days, but it was a fact. There wasn't an exception. But all of the sudden, there was an immunity. So did this mean there was a cure? I wanted to ask Will this, but I knew he wouldn't know.

"Does Tris know?" I asked him. He didn't answer, so I took it as a no. I leaned back in the chair and looked away from him. I stared into the fire. If it was indeed genetic, Tris wouldn't be immune. We saw that through Caleb unfortunately. And Will's chances weren't too good either, since they were cousins. And I had heard about Christina's parents, meaning she wasn't on the lucky side, either. As for the others, I wasn't too sure. I hadn't actually witnessed either of my parents Turning… And suddenly, I realized why Will had kept this to himself. If the others knew there was an immunity, it would lift their hopes. And finding out they didn't have it might just drop them enough to diminish them entirely.

I feared for Zeke and Uriah finding out. Lynn and Shauna, too. But most of all, Tris. She knew good and well what was going to happen to her if she died. She had her suspicions regarding why Al's brother hadn't Turned. If she knew about Al… She's a smart girl, she'd figure it out soon enough. I sighed at the thought of her finding out.

"So what are you going to tell her about Al?" I asked.

"We've got to fake his Turning," he said. My eyes widened a bit. It was one thing to lie to his cousin, but it was another to go on and fake a Turning. I couldn't imagine how he was planning to pull that off.

"I'm thinking I'll do it tomorrow early in the morning," he said. "I'll do it quick somewhere in the forest. But when I get back, we'll have to start on the funeral for Caleb. She won't be able to fully process any of the lie." It sounded so cruel, I was wondering if he was serious. I couldn't imagine him doing that to Tris, but I figured he knew what he was doing. I nodded slowly, unsure what to say until I figured I wouldn't say anything at all.

It was really all up to him, and if he figured it was best, I wasn't going to stop him. He had made it this far, and I wasn't anyone to get in the way of what he thought was right.

…

 **Four**

I woke that next morning to the sound of swears and tins clanging. Zeke and I had claimed the booths, while Lynn, Christina, and Tris had taken the bed in the back. Shauna had slept that night in the driver's seat of the RV, and Will, Marlene, and Uriah had somehow fit in the van. It seemed like I was the first one to wake up in the RV because the bedroom was quiet, and Zeke's and Shauna's chests were still both falling lightly. I worried for about one second before I remembered Will's plan for the day.

The swears sounded like they belonged to Uriah's voice, so Marlene was probably also waking up right then. I moved quickly, wanting to be there before Tris in case Will needed any help explaining himself.

The night before, he told me the entire plan: he'd begin working on Caleb's grave and before anyone woke up, he'd drag Al's body out somewhere in the woods, where it was difficult to see much because of the shrubbery or leaves. Feigning having to take a piss, he would pretend he had gone into the woods for some privacy and Al had finally Turned, going after him in the woods to attack. He'd stab Al in the head with a blade, and cut himself with a branch to imitate a struggle. And this was all supposed to happen before they buried Caleb's corpse.

I moved from the booth, slipping on my belt and boots. Remembering Will's words from the night before, I left my overcoat. I moved quickly, wanting to be outside to help Will from Uriah and Marlene.

When I stepped down from the RV, I watched as Will emerged from the string of tins. He had gotten himself caught in them, but had just freed himself as I approached. He saw me, and something in his eyes told me something had gone wrong. I knew it. I knew I should have gone with him, at least. He couldn't very well drag Al's body out there safely by himself. I wondered if he had been bit, but as I got closer, I noticed just how much blood was on him. With that much, it couldn't all be his. I started into a jog, and as I approached further, I saw as Marlene was guiding him back, Uriah was surveying the woods with an assault rifle, watching for any break in the trees. Instead, Tris's dog emerged and ran up next to Will, it's mouth covered in blood. Al had stopped bleeding, and it couldn't be Will's; I put two and two together and figured Will had encountered another Turned.

Marlene and Will had sat back down at the van just as I arrived. Zombie trotted up to Will, jumping up into the back of the van, lying down exhausted. Marlene was questioning him about the attack, and we made eye contact. She nodded to a silent question asking if he was alright. I instead moved to Uriah, asking what he knew.

"Marlene and I woke up to the tins," he said. "We opened the back doors, but the Al's tarp was covering it as if it had fallen off in the night. He escaped, Four. He Turned." I could hear the disappointment in his voice, saddened there wasn't an immunity like Tris had thought. Little did he know.

"We got armed and then got out," he continued. "We noticed Will and the dog were gone. I thought he was just digging Caleb's grave, but the shovel was abandoned by the medium. And then barking came from the woods. And then Will came through covered in blood." I nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. I had gotten the full story now. I understood.

"We'd better get back behind the van," I said. He turned to me, looking at me like I was crazy for abandoning post, but I must have been pretty convincing because he let his rifle drop, and with one more look to the trees, he turned and followed me back to the camp.

Will was staring at the ground, wincing a bit at Marlene's touch, but sucking it up, knowing it was for the best. He had taken his shirt off, and she was fixing up a cut on his shoulder and collarbone. I pondered if he had made that himself or if it was from one of his attackers. He saw Uriah's and my shadows approach and looked up.

"All's good?" I asked. It was an equivocal question, but he knew what I meant. He nodded in confirmation.

"So Al Turned?" I asked for the sake of Uriah and Marlene.

Will nodded. "Unfortunately," he said. "I really thought Tris was right." I nodded, agreeing. Will was right, but it felt like he was mocking her slightly. I felt a bit of resentment shoot through me before I remembered what it would mean if she knew she was right.

I hit Uriah's chest. "You mind breaking the news the others?" I suggested. It wasn't really a question, but he agreed like it was. He through his rifle into the back of the van, giving Marlene's hand a little squeeze as he went. Will asked him to water down the part where he had been hurt, reminding him Caleb's burial was still later that morning.

He was gone no more than a minute before the RV doors opened again and Tris ran down the steps. Her hair was down, and it looked soft as it flew in the wind behind her. Having just woken up, her eyes were puffy and huge, but maybe that was from the news.

She ran up towards me and Will, nearly colliding with me. She grabbed my shoulders first, and examined me. "I'm just fine," I said. She nodded absently and moved on to her cousin. She took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, while talking to Marlene instead of Will. Behind us, the others came out of the RV, trickling out one by one. I turned back. I'd be asked why I hadn't woken anyone else. In hindsight, I know I should have.

I looked back to where Marlene had gotten down from the van, and saw Tris had taken her place. Her immediate familial instincts had died down, and she was now staring at the ground like Will. Her dog nuzzled his nose between them until she was under Tris's hand. I could tell from here that she was thinking over the situation. To her knowledge, Al had Turned, like she thought he wouldn't.

She looked a little let down, which threw me off more than I thought it would. In that moment, I wanted to tell her the truth. Or maybe I'd hold her. Instead, I did none of those things. I moved to rest my hand on her knee. To my surprise, she rested her hand on mine.

"I'll take care of Caleb's grave, Will," I offered. "Don't worry about it." He nodded and thanked me. As I turned to leave, I grabbed Uriah and Zeke to help me.

…

A little later, when the three of us were working on the grave, I rested my hand and head on the shaft of the shovel. I thought how hard it was now for Tris to live on now that her brother was gone. I knew she and Will were still close, but now all of her immediate family was gone, a sensation I had known for years. I wanted to be there for her, and at the right time, I would be. It seemed again that God was real and present and pushing us together at every turn. I hoped for all our sakes he'd have mercy on us.

 **Excellent chapter for me. Wrapped a few things up, including the deaths. And thanks for all the birthday wishes. I enjoyed my day very much.**

 **And as you all probably know. School is starting up again unfortunately, and I'm very excited to start. I'm taking a Creative Writing Course this year, and I'm unsure whether I'll be any good, knowing I'll have to start writing original pieces instead of fanfiction. And I can admit to myself that I can't take criticism very well, so I'll have to work on that as well. Thanks all, again for reading and enjoying the story. Feedback is appreciated now more than ever so please, leave a review if you have any comments.**

 **Love for all of you guys, Viv xoxo**


	20. Chapter 20

**Vacant – Chapter 20**

Marlene had volunteered to say the prayer, a small piece of the Bible she was reciting right there, in the middle of the frozen, dead grass in between the two highways. It was as if the universe knew exactly what was happening and understood the weight of the situation; the sky was a light grey but clear of any clouds. Zeke and his brother and Four has finished the burial just awhile before, so the scent of fresh earth was still lingering in the air, the bitter wind throwing it in my face like it wanted me to hurt even more.

I was sitting on the ground, cold from the ground seeping through my jeans. Still, with my hand resting on the upturned dirt, I felt warmth. Caleb's grace was a small stone from the woods with the date engraved on it: September 30. Will stood a bit behind me, and everyone else behind him. Shauna and Chris had gone around the area for a while, looking for flowers that might be appropriate for the occasion, and they had sprinkled them around the grave neatly. Ironically, they were all mostly dead from the winter.

Marlene finished up her short speech and closed the book gently, looking down at me sorrowfully. Then she looked to Will, but he was staring down at Caleb's grave. I think she might have realized what we were going through as she gestured for the others to wrap up and leave us alone. It seemed like after they were all gone, the wind had gotten louder. I felt Will's presence behind me grow closer until he, too, was down beside me, kneeling. He put his hand on my shoulder and said soothing words, but I could tell from his voice just how hard it was for him, too. Guilt crept up on me unexpectedly, telling me I should comfort him as well. But it just wasn't in me.

Eventually, he stopped talking altogether. I brought my hand up to his and we were silent together.

We both had regrets about how we were living here in the world now, but this was one we both shared for sure. I regretted that I hadn't been there. He regretted that he hadn't done anything else to help him. And now he was gone, but we were still here. We still carried on. Caleb would have wanted that, never having been the sentimental type. So when Marlene returned with a blanket and another apology for our loss, and when Will finally left with her, I swore to myself, I wouldn't allow myself to mourn any longer. Today would be the last day; I would continue with my life, and I'd live.

I wouldn't just survive any longer; I'd live.

Later that night, when the numbing feeling of finality was wearing off, we were sat around another fire. Will and Christina had brought out a few beers that hadn't quite gone off just yet. I wondered if they had actually brewed it themselves, but Chris definitely wouldn't be the type to have that kind of knowledge, and I hadn't ever pegged Will as the type, and he was my cousin. Maybe they thought they were celebrating, but I wasn't feeling it. I kept to my cup of beans Shauna had cooked an hour before.

Still, even without the alcohol, I felt the celebratory air. Most of us were smiling, and some even managed a laugh, no matter how forced. We loosened up and felt more alive than we had for months. We had been on the move for so long, fighting the Turned even longer, probably more than was healthy. I thought about the millions that were all gone; we were what was left out of all those people. We felt like we owed it to them to get through this. So, yes, the celebration went on.

Four had a few drinks, Zeke was telling jokes, making the girls laugh, despite how unfunny they might have been actually. Uriah was chatting up Marlene even more than he had been for the last few days, and they were happy. If no one else was, at least they were. They were truly happy, which in turn made my stomach warm. I had sometimes felt concerned for Marlene's life. She wasn't ever in danger, but she almost always seemed unhappy. No, not unhappy, but at least not happy. I wondered if she would ever find someone like Uriah, and now she had. She had done so much good in this world, and the world was finally giving back to her in the form of Uriah. She was blessed.

And like I had once worried for her, she now worried for me. I was there, sitting on the pavement of the road by the fire, not wanting a chair. I was sitting alone, something I preferred at the moment, but every now and then, she'd look away from Uriah's smiling face and glance at me. I noticed this a few times, and saw the look on her face, so I'd make a point of making conversation with Lynn sitting in a chair across the fire. The fact that Marlene was concerned for me shook me; the tables were turned, and although it was reassuring someone was looking out for me, I thought about what that implied for me. Was I unstable? Did I need her concern? Would it really be beneficial?

I looked around and spotted an open beer sitting a few feet from me. I grabbed it and knocked some of it back quickly, savoring the burn it left on my tongue.

Lynn's laugh made its way to my ears. "You sure you can take that?" she asked playfully. She sipped hers slowly almost like a dare, but my heart wasn't in it. I shrugged in reply. I was glad she was finally making the conversation; carrying both of our responses had been tiring when I was doing all the work. I tried to keep it going, but she went right back to being unresponsive.

After nearly another half hour, I had culminated in the cold and darkness and excused myself to bed. Tonight, it was my turn again in the bed, but I'd be sharing it with Lynn and Shauna now. Heading to the door of the RV, I noticed Four standing there almost like a guard. My heart fluttered a small bit when I saw a hint of a smile on his face. I hoped he'd make conversation with me, but he just made a smirking face.

"I'd wait a second or two," he said. "Zeke's saying goodnight to Shauna." I made a small understanding nod, rolled my eyes, and went to stand against the side of the RV next to Four. A minute passed and the door opened; Zeke stepped out.

He was smiling, and in the light of the fire, his face was flushed red. He looked to Four like he was going to say something, but saw me and stopped. He turned even redder.

"Were you-?" he stuttered. "Were you waiting on me?" I shook my head.

"Nope," I said. "Just got here. Four and I were just talking about the moon, weren't we, Four?" I didn't want to embarrass him or Shauna, and neither did Four apparently, because he nodded in agreement of our fake conversation. Maybe if I had actually wanted to, we would have.

Zeke shrugged and wished me a goodnight before walking off. Four began following him, but turned at the last second before I would be out of earshot. "Tris?" he said, looking back at me. I had reached the last stair, about to close the door, but I listened. "Yeah?"

He hesitated, but then wished me a short goodnight. I nodded curtly and smiled a little. "You too, Four," I said. "Goodnight." He nodded, too, and turned to walk away again. I closed the door and stood up straight, the smile still lingering. Shauna was all the way at the end of the RV, but the bedroom door was open. She was nearly naked, standing with just her underwear on, folding her clothes from the day.

She looked at me while she folded, but didn't say anything. I looked to the front of the RV, through the windshield where I could see the silhouette of Caleb's grave a few yards away in the grass. I closed the blackout curtains on the windshield and looked away.

The only light came from the three candles placed strategically throughout the RV so that it was nearly all lit up. There was one on the counter across from the booth and two in the back room. I blew out the first one and walked back to undress.

Zombie was lying on the ground, resting her head, eyes closed. Shauna had since climbed into bed, her clothes neatly folded and stacked at the end of the bed on the ground. She was writing in the journal she had been keeping for a while. I wondered if she was keeping the date like Will had been. I began to undress.

I sat at the end of the bed and pulled off my boots and then my socks. I realized they had gotten holes in them since the last time I had checked, only a few days ago. I sighed. I'd have to wait a while until I could find new ones, probably in Chicago. I put them away carefully as to not damage them anymore. I wouldn't last long without good socks; people didn't realize how vital they were.

"Damn it," Shauna swore behind me. I looked back to see her shaking her pen around and dabbing it to the tip of her tongue. She scratched a bit more on the paper. "The ink's out; goddamn it." I shook my head. It was a real misfortune, since pens and ink seemed to be just as rare as socks now.

"Pity," I said, moving from the bed to strip the rest of my clothes. I didn't feel the need to actually make conversation this late at night. Not anymore. And thankfully, Shauna didn't push it.

Instead, she made a sound of agreement and set the journal aside with the pen on top of it. She crawled further into bed and held the covers up for me to join her. Lynn would show up later tonight, possibly drunk and ready for a hangover, something Shauna would probably be able to cure quickly.

I blew out the candles before I slid under the covers. I would at least leave the door open for Lynn.

I shut my eyes and tried to not focus on anything in particular as I fell asleep.

…

Somewhere in the night, I woke up in the dark. Two bodies on either of my sides showed Lynn had come to bed, so it probably would have been sometime early in the morning, actually. I wondered what had woken me, so I nudged Lynn to see if she had just gotten into bed. Instead, I noticed the covers were pulled over her; she had been asleep for a while.

I moved to sit up, but a hand came down on my shoulder, making me jump. I looked over to Shauna, only seeing the whites of her eyes in the darkness. They were wide with something that resembled fear. I looked around the RV, and since the door was open, down the hall for something that would have had Shauna so frightened. Lynn had left the door to the bedroom open, but surely she wouldn't have been so inebriated to have left the main door open. And surely, even then, we would have felt the draft.

"I heard it, too," Shauna said. Confusion struck me; I hadn't heard a thing. What was she talking about?

"I'll go look," I offered. I began to pull the covers off of us, but she gripped my arm tighter. I repeated myself and shook her off. With the duvet off, I slid off the bed and walked a bit down the hall. I noticed the candle was still on the counter where it was supposed to be. I walked a bit further until I came up to where the curtains were still closed against the windshield.

I reached my hand out to draw them open, only a little bit, but my hand froze midair when I noticed something walking around outside. I had never stood stiller in my life. I breathed so quietly, and my lungs began to burn, so I wondered if I was actually breathing at all. A small noise came from outside, something like a wild animal. I hoped against hope it was just that. Really, I would have preferred a lion to whatever else might be out there. I slowly drew my hand away from the curtain and looked to the door of the RV.

I physically felt the color drain from my face. It wasn't locked. Lynn.

We had all agreed to lock all of the doors of all the vehicles at night for the wellbeing of everyone. And with that rule came a silent curfew. Be in your vehicle by a certain time, and you wouldn't get locked out. But here, the RV wasn't even locked.

I closed my eyes for three seconds before I gathered enough strength to move forward and lock the door. The entire action took what felt like forever. I moved slowly until my fingers hovered over the knob. In less than a second, I moved quickly to turn the lock and draw my hand away. I stopped and held still, listening with my body for any movement outside the door. Nothing came.

I stepped back and swallowed, relieved. I wanted more than anything to return to bed and fall back asleep, but the lingering threat of the Turned remained. I prayed the others were up in the van, but I couldn't count on it. I stepped even further back and began walking back to the bedroom, spotting Zombie lying on the ground still. She was a liability, no sense of the vitality of remaining quiet. She would sense the danger and bark, so I moved quietly, trying to stay normal. I moved more quickly now, though. The sooner I was back there, the sooner I might fall asleep. And then morning would come.

I finally returned, closing the door behind me. I looked to Shauna, who had since calmed down, and asked her to wake her sister. She tried in vain, shaking Lynn's shoulder, saying her name quietly, but she didn't respond. Black-out drunk. This was why I didn't drink, for fear I might get like that and not wake up in an emergency. This was irresponsible, but Shauna would lecture her about it later, I was sure.

I moved forward and tried myself, but still nothing. I began to speak to Shauna quietly. "The door was unlocked, Shauna," I admitted. I suppose maybe it was something she didn't have to know, but I figured it might be a reassurance that I had locked it. And of course, I had to ruin it by bringing up someone's presence outside.

"What?" she asked incredulously; she swore. "Shit. Who was it? What was it?" She got up, going to draw the curtain open, but hesitated. "Do you think the others heard it? Saw it?"

I shrugged and tried to crawl back into bed. "I don't know, maybe," I admitted. I actually hadn't heard anything. I had simply seen its silhouette. "It wasn't too loud actually, Shauna, I doubt it. Besides it's probably nothing. It didn't seem to be a Sensor. It moved along, didn't stay too long. It'll pass, maybe be gone by morning."

"Wasn't loud?" she asked, looking at me like I was deaf. "What woke you?" she asked. I shrugged again, unsure myself the answer to her question.

"I don't know," I said. "I just thought you had nudged me or something."

"Tris," she said with a tone of finality. "Tris, I woke up because something was loud enough to wake me. It was the sound of the tin cans outside around the perimeter."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "What the hell? They weren't making any noise." I really hadn't heard a thing, but I suppose it would have made sense for it to wake me. I shook my head.

"Look, Shauna," I said, trying to argue. "Just come back to bed. They'll be gone by morning, and if they aren't, we'll still need to wait for the sunlight. Come back and go to sleep. They'll be gone."

They most certainly were not.

 **Thanks so much for all the love and support of the last chapter, and also for the lack of hate for not updating in so long. I's been a while, I know, but I'll try to be more diligent for next chapter. And maybe a bit of Four and Tris relationship-building. I feel like it's just too soon, but I know you all want some, so I'll try to write some. All the love,**

 **Viv xoxox**


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